Which players impressed the most (or the least) and changed our minds in Summer League?
Who changed your opinion of them the most in Summer League? (Either positively or negatively)
Mark Aboyoun
Kenneth Lofton Jr. probably changed my opinion the most — though not in the way I’d hoped. Maybe I’m just used to undersized bigs in Boston (cough, Jared Sullinger), and part of me irrationally believes there’s still room for a player like Lofton to carve out a role if he were to make the team. However, I wasn’t all that impressed this summer. He had moments where he looked comfortable and his strength is evident. Still, at 6’6, the size mismatch down low was hard to ignore, and I expected him to stand out more. He had a few solid outings, but overall, I expected more.
Mike Dynon
Baylor Scheierman didn’t shoot well, but he looked poised and confident. He’s the one Summer League player who will likely be expected to play meaningful minutes during the coming regular season, and in Las Vegas he showed that he’s ready. Most notably, Scheierman averaged 6.8 assists, which was fifth among all Summer Leaguers. The shooting should come back. When he received the playing time last season – 16 minutes per game post-All Star break – he shot 37 percent from the arc. So my main takeaway from Vegas is that Scheierman is progressing toward handling a larger role in Boston, which is reassuring with all the question marks about the Celtics’ future roster.
Steve Hooper
Amari Williams surprised me. He has a handle and can push the ball up the court. He isn’t close to a finished product, bit he is a work in progress now. I was disappointed to hear that we waived J.D. Davison after investing so much coaching and training into his development and his young career and cutting him loose after such a good season in Maine.
Jack Anderson
Kendall Brown surprised me the most. I really enjoyed watching him play. I admittedly didn’t know a ton about him entering Summer League so I was excited to see his game and how impressive it was. His athleticism and ability to drive to the rim and finish really excited me.
Jeff Clark
This may sound odd, but for me it was Jordan Walsh. His poor showing in last year’s Summer League paired with his sparse playing time this year led me to wonder if he was going to get lost in the shuffle or become a cap cutting casualty. Instead, he showed up and provided solid performances in line with the kind of role he should be playing. I don’t know where he’ll end up on the depth chart along with Hugo Gonzalez and Scheierman but at least he hasn’t been lapped.
Jake Issenberg
Jordan Walsh. We have life. Walsh had more at stake than any other Celtics at summer league, given his non-guaranteed contract and lack of production through his first two seasons. Walsh showed he belonged at least at Summer League. The thing that impressed me the most was Walsh’s ability to consistently generate paint touches. Throughout all four Summer League games, Walsh was able to get the ball into advantageous positions and then showcased his length and touch to finish around the rim as well. Stock up for Walsh.