Rookies are always the biggest draw in Las Vegas every July for the NBA’s Summer League. The idea was no different this month with both Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell suiting up for the Boston Celtics for the first time.
Boston drafted Mitchell 40th overall out of St. John’s. The 23-year-old was the fifth ranked prospect in the 2022 high-school class, and it’s easy to tell why. He’s a high-IQ player with freak athleticism, strong rebounding ability, and great vision.
Even with all of those positives, his 6.7% rate from beyond the arc was the piece that stuck out the most when the Cs picked him last month.
His showing at Summer League effectively erased everyone’s doubts immediately.
Dillon Mitchell Summer League grade: A+
In terms of expectations vs. reality, I’m not sure there’s anyone on Boston’s roster who even comes close to Mitchell. Even with an imperfect outing in his debut against the Toronto Raptors, there were still signs that the Florida native had a special ability to impact the game.
His high-flying hops and insane motor made for a loud chasedown block (where he literally had to duck his head fully to avoid hitting it on the backboard), jaw-dropping putback dunk, and then two insane steals in Toronto’s backcourt early in the second half. The steals in particular, were eye-opening. It’s difficult to frazzle NBA adjacent talent enough for them to turn the ball over once when trying to get it up the floor -- nevermind twice.
Dillon Mitchell had some HIGHLIGHTS last night: pic.twitter.com/wGK4cycFBB
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) July 11, 2026
Mitchell filled the statsheet the following game, with a 24-point, eight rebound, and eight stock (steals and blocks) performance against the Charlotte Hornets. This was the first time that the rookie let it fly from distance.
Is Dillon Mitchell a shooter all of a sudden?
His jumper did not look like that of someone who made just one three on 15 attempts as a senior. Instead, it looked smooth, mechanically sound, and it went in two out of five times. Mitchell didn’t look afraid to fire it up, either.
Celtics rookie Dillon Mitchell 24 PTS (10-20 FG, 2-5 3P), 8 REB (7 OREB), 2 AST, 6 STL, 2 BLK vs. Hornets
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) July 12, 2026
They may have gotten a steal in the 2nd round pic.twitter.com/zKYA0rnhSs
“Everybody on the bench has confidence in me shooting the ball, and it's not a lot we were able to do before summer league,” Mitchell shared. “But it's just as far as just confidence and tweaking the little things [it’s been helpful]. After summer league, when we have a lot of time, and I get back to Boston, we'll definitely even work on it a lot more.”
Mitchell’s shooting ability and form wasn’t a one-off, either. The very next day, he sank a variety of jumpers in a blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He made a three off the catch, a fadeaway off of a spin, and then a pullback jumper at the free-throw line. Not once did he seem to have a hitch in his shot, or any other issue firing it up smoothly.
I apologize if this all seems like an overreaction. It might be. But, when draft experts say that a player like Mitchell could’ve been a lottery pick if he wasn’t viewed as the “worst shooter in the class,” it’s tough not to be over the moon seeing glimpses of a coherent shot.
Not to mention that everything else; the elite defense, athleticism, and playmaking, all came as advertised.
There’s real reason to believe that Mitchell can be a rotation player on a very good team, at the very least. If you don’t believe me, the team shut him down after just three appearances in Vegas. That’s the typical treatment of a lottery pick or other players who are so clearly too good to be playing in the summer circuit.
It really makes you think.
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