Boston Celtics announce stacked roster for Summer League
By Ben Grunert
![The Summer League Celtics are stacked The Summer League Celtics are stacked](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6337,h_3564,x_0,y_366/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/18/01j2azbjjr3a159pz3ty.jpg)
The Boston Celtics just became NBA champions in June, but their fans already have a new team to root for this summer. Boston released its final roster for the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas, and the Summer Celtics are officially stacked.
Boston’s summer squad is loaded with talent, headlined by many players from the actual Celtics roster. Here are the recent Banner 18 winners who will play for the Celtics this summer:
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh
Walsh, Springer, and Queta all have standard contracts with the Celtics. Meanwhile, Davison and Peterson both resigned two-way deals this offseason. Davison will enter a rare third consecutive season on a two-way contract with the same team. Clearly, the Celtics still see something in the young point guard who lit up the G League last season.
Not many Summer League teams possess the kind of NBA experience the Celtics will boast in July. Fans should expect to see Walsh get heavy minutes as Boston tries to transform the defensively gifted 20-year-old into a real two-way threat. If he improves his jumper, Walsh can fit right in as a 3-and-D role player to complement stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Boston Celtics rookies could make a splash
The rest of Boston’s summer league roster looks like this:
Tyler Cook
Tristan Enaruna
Ron Harper Jr.
Jaelen House
Jahmi’us Ramsey
Baylor Scheierman
Killian Tillie
Anton Watson
Scheierman and Watson stand out as Boston’s 2024 draft picks. Picked No. 30 in this year’s draft, Scheierman may be the most exciting piece of the puzzle for the Summer Celtics. The versatile forward played five years of college basketball, fine-tuning his skills to enter the league as one of the most NBA-ready prospects out there.
Scheierman has an elite shooting stroke with a 39.0% 3-point clip for his college career. He also has a well-rounded skill set and a knack for contributing in multiple areas of the game. The former Creighton star made NCAA history as the only Division I player to ever record career totals of 2000 points, 1000 rebounds, 500 assists, and 300 threes.
Fellow rookie Watson went to the Celtics with the No. 54 pick, and the Gonzaga product has already built some chemistry with Scheierman. Like Scheierman, Watson played for all five years in college. He won an incredible 130 out of his 149 games with Gonzaga. Both rookies also grew up as Red Sox fans, per Taylor Snow.
Scheierman talked to Boston media about his rookie connection with Watson and how their similar collegiate experiences have made them even closer.
"We’re kind of the same age, we’ve been in college for a few years … Just to have someone else going through the same things you are, to obviously be there to talk about really anything … it’s nice and it means a lot."
- Baylor Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman on having another rookie in Anton Watson to help navigate the new experience:
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) July 8, 2024
“Just to have someone else going through the same things you are to be there to talk about really anything, that’s nice and it means a lot.” pic.twitter.com/R6tVG8IrbX
Scheierman makes it six total Summer Leaguers who currently have spots on the 2024-25 Celtics roster. Watson will look to make it seven by signing what would likely be a two-way deal with Boston.
In his most recent press conference, Watson said getting drafted by the Celtics was the “best day of my life.” The athletic forward has the defensive build and IQ to guard multiple positions, and he shot 41.2% from downtown in his final year of college.
Anton Watson worked out with the #Celtics first and didn’t know what to expect. Then he got hurt at the G-League combine and knew the C’s liked him, but didn’t know for sure he was Boston bound until Stevens called.
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) July 8, 2024
“Best day of my life.” pic.twitter.com/WW1oRQYHTF
Sons of NBA champions could provide fun storylines
The Summer Celtics have added two young hoopers with “championship DNA” in the most technical sense of the phrase. Harper Jr. is the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, best known for running point next to the great Michael Jordan. House’s father is Eddie House, who won the 2008 title with the Celtics and is now a well-respected basketball analyst.
Harper Jr. has spent the first two years of his NBA career on two-way deals with the Toronto Raptors. The 24-year-old averaged 17.3 points in the G League two seasons ago, also averaging 1.2 blocks and one steal while shooting 50.1% from the field. Last year, he only played one game before he had to get season-ending shoulder surgery.
When healthy, Harper Jr. has flashed some serious promise. He stands at 6-foot-6 with solid playmaking skills that developed during his first G League season, and he has a high defensive motor. Harper Jr. can play multiple positions on the wing due to his athleticism and versatility.
House went undrafted after playing five years of college ball for Arizona State and New Mexico. His 15.9 points per game as a super-senior were tarnished by a subpar 37.4% clip from the field, but Eddie’s son has turned some heads so far in Las Vegas.
House received a huge compliment from Scheierman in regard to his drive and work ethic. Scheierman called House the most competitive player – aside from himself – at Summer League training camp.
The Celtics will begin their Summer League on July 13 against the Miami Heat. They will play three more games from July 15-19, including matchups with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.
Given the experienced nature of Boston’s talented roster, C’s fans should expect a sizzling Summer League from the reigning champs.