Game 1 of the Boston Celtics’ Summer League campaign is officially in the books. The Cs opened their Las Vegas run with a 92-78 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday afternoon. Heading into the matchup, there was plenty of buzz surrounding the debuts of rookies Hugo Gonzalez, Amari Williams, and Max Shulga, as well as some excitement regarding the development of returning players like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh.
Flying under the radar during all of the Summer League build-up was Miles Norris, a returning wing on a two-way contract with the Cs.
Norris didn’t crack the starting lineup in the Vegas opener, but he did log 21 impactful minutes off the bench. The 25-year-old finished the afternoon with eight points, five rebounds, a steal, and a block on 2-5 shooting from the field. While that isn’t the type of statline that jumps off the page, Norris’ outing was an impressive one.
It was riddled with little things that’ll make you go, “hmm.”
The former UC Santa Barbara standout was active defensively, showcasing his six-foot-eight-inch frame and the length that comes along with it. Norris had good moments as a help defender, but didn’t play great as the primary defender. He may have been a bit too intense on that end, picking up five fouls in his bench minutes, but his intensity is there, at the very least.
His two field goals came during his first stint late in the first quarter. First, he drilled a mid-range pull-up jumper, then sank a triple off a great feed from Williams. Norris’s willingness and comfort taking jump shots is justified with how smooth his form is. He also plays with a great sense of where to be off the ball, relocating to open space with ease.
🔥Miles Norris is heating things up in Vegas! pic.twitter.com/6NpaXGXXdu
— Maine Celtics (@MaineCeltics) July 11, 2025
Miles Norris's shooting could lead to a rotation spot with the Celtics somewhere down the line
Now, it’s a gross case of Summer League overreaction, but Norris’s performance in Game 1 painted a picture of what his potential fit with the Celtics could be.
Potential fit is a strange way to look at a player who was with the team for the back half of the 2024-25 campaign. Boston signed Norris to a two-way deal in early March, after waiving 2024 second-round pick Anton Watson. He didn’t see many opportunities with the NBA Celtics, appearing in just three games towards the end of the year, but did spend a lot of time with the Maine Celtics in the G-League.
Norris suited up in eight games for Maine, playing about 30 minutes in each outing. He averaged 14.5 points on 39.3% shooting from beyond the arc in the short slate. In 30 total G-League appearances, he shot even higher at 39.5%.
His shooting ability at least gives him a puncher’s chance to stick with the Celtics going forward, especially considering the volume of threes that they’ve shot under head coach Joe Mazzulla. He’s just got to come along a bit defensively.
With Jayson Tatum sidelined indefinitely with a ruptured Achilles, there could be some extra opportunity for Norris with the Cs next season. We'll just have to wait and see.