According to the school’s official Twitter account, Penn State forward Zach Hicks will be suiting up for the Boston Celtics Summer League team in Las Vegas next week. Hicks, who just wrapped up his senior season with the Nittany Lions, went undrafted at last month’s NBA Draft.
Next level 🍀 @zhicks1231 will suit up for the @celtics in @NBASummerLeague! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/IqTxSWSrl6
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) June 27, 2025
The 22-year-old appeared in 31 games for Penn State as a senior, playing about 31.8 minutes each time. He averaged 11.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 47.1% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc on 5.8 attempts.
Now, he’ll look to play his way onto an NBA or G-League roster with Boston at the annual summer showcase.
What can the Celtics look for in Zach Hicks?
If there’s one thing fans can always be certain of with the Celtics, it’s that they’ll be looking to add shooting any time that they can. Last season, they waived second-round pick Anton Watson and then swiftly added sharpshooting forward Miles Norris in his place.
This summer has already delivered plenty of change for Boston. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are no more, after being traded away in a pair of cost-cutting trades. The moves initially helped the Cs dive below the league’s second-aprong line, but they’ve re-entered the threshold after adding Luka Garza and Josh Minott. That’s basically a long-winded way of explaining that there are more moves coming for the Celtics.
Should any of those future transactions offload primary shooters like Sam Hauser or Georges Niang, then the door could open for a player like Norris to slide up to a standard contract, rather than a two-way deal.
In that case, a player like Zach Hicks would make a lot of sense as Norris’ two-way replacement. Hicks was a knockdown shooter for the Nittany Lions last year while taking a respectable amount of attempts at nearly six per game. His efficiency on such a high volume, combined with his 80% clip from the free-throw line, shows promise that he could continue to be an effective shooter at the pro level.
The path to that point is likely a long one, though, at least with Boston. Hicks would benefit from spending some time with the Maine Celtics in the G-League, where he can sharpen the rest of his game. He’s a solid defender with a good frame at six-foot-eight, but needs to put on some muscle before he’s ready to compete with NBA wings. In addition, scouts have pointed to his shoot-first instincts as a part of his game that will hold him back in the pros. When playing with the most talented hoopers on the planet, sometimes just being able to fill your role is enough.
Nonetheless, Hicks has the profile of a player who can help the Summer Celtics compete. He’ll probably have a bench role behind returning players like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh, as well as rookie forward Hugo Gonzalez, who Boston selected 28th overall last month.