Not many have been too happy with Brad Stevens after he traded Jaylen Brown almost two weeks ago. There will be some questions regarding what Stevens is trying to accomplish, but something that has shown itself over the past few days has been his eye for young talent, as the Boston Celtics' draft picks - Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell - have shown out in the Summer League.
Because of the contributions from their highest picks over the last three drafts - Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez in that exact order - it's become apparent that Stevens can draft. Cenac and Mitchell have further proved that, even if it's not exactly in high-stakes basketball games.
Cenac was easily the standout from their first game against Toronto. He not only provided energy on the boards but also protected the rim. Putting a cherry on top was his game-tying three that later pushed the Celtics to their overtime victory.
He didn't re-create the magic in their second game, but it didn't matter because Mitchell picked up the slack. Mitchell looked like a defensive demon with perhaps some promise as a floor-spacer in their win over Charlotte.
Summer League performances should always be taken a grain of salt the size of, well, Las Vegas itself, but even so, these two are at least proving why Boston took them. The jury will be out on them for a while, but the initial results have been quite promising, especially with the bar not too high.
They may play more serious minutes than you think
With all the moves they made, the Celtics have a pretty deep roster, but keep in mind that Boston added two valuable, albeit injury-prone, players in Paul George and Mitchell Robinson. Boston's goal with those two will be to make sure they'll be ready come playoff time, which likely means regulating their minutes Al Horford-style.
That will open up time for some of Boston's other players. The Celtics are pretty loaded at the wing spot, but if an unfortunate injury or two occurs, don't be surprised if Mitchell gets some shine. Cenac may not have to work so far up, as the only bigs who are definitely ahead of him on the depth chart are Robinson, Neemias Queta, and Luka Garza.
Odds are, they won't be counted on much their rookie seasons, but the Summer League may have given the Celtics a sample of what's to come from them in the coming years.
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