The Celtics made their Summer League debut after a busy start to the offseason on Saturday afternoon with a 99-88 loss to the Heat at Cox Pavillion in Las Vegas.
Rookie Jordan Walsh led the way for Boston with a team-high 18 points including 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range while JD Davison added a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 11 assists. Those efforts weren’t enough against a Heat squad that dominated Boston’s frontcourt thanks to 36 points and 11 rebounds from Miami center Orlando Robinson.
The Celtics return to Summer League action on Sunday with a matchup against the Wizards at 7:30 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics opener:
- Related: Mobile sports betting is live in Massachusetts on DraftKings. Get started with $150 in bonus bets
Jordan Walsh makes a great first impression: The No. 38 overall pick got the start at small forward in his Summer League debut for Boston and stood out immediately. The 6-foot-7 forward’s biggest question mark coming into the pros was his jump shot but he knocked down his first three 3s of the game as he made the Heat defense pay for sagging off him. He finished the first half with a team-high 13 points and showed off solid decision-making on that end of the floor while adding an impressive alley-oop in transition. Defensively, he came in as advertised out of Arkansas, playing hard-nosed defense while fighting over screens well and guarding multiple positions on the floor. The assumption was he would have a long way to go to crack into Boston’s rotation but he looks already like someone Joe Mazzulla may be able to use on the wing in spot minutes if he can sustain this type of play all week.
JD Davison struggles with his shot: The second-year point guard is still only 20 years old but looks a ways away from being able to contribute at the NBA level. The point guard missed eight of his first nine shots from the field and coughed up three turnovers in the first four minutes of the game. While the scoring wasn’t there until his 10 points in the fourth quarter, Davison was playing with good pace offensively which helped him dish out a team-high 11 assists. He’s playing for a two-way spot during Summer League here and there is work to do as the team still has three slots to fill.
A couple of new names stick out: Boston may not have many spots left to fill on the 15-man roster but they still have three opens left for two-ways under the new CBA rules. The team has been holding workouts in the past couple weeks as they weigh finding options for the spot but a couple of experienced names on Boston’s Summer League roster could be candidates after this opener against the Heat. Justin Bean showed some good offensive acumen out of the gate while 2020 second-round pick Jay Scrubb got to the rim at will against the Heat’s defense. Both players have two-way eligibility remaining so it they all made a solid first impression as Boston weighs their options on that front.
Dalano Banton sits opener with finger injury: One of the newest additions to the Celtics’ 15-man roster was expected to see some action in Las Vegas this week but it is dealing with a little bit of a finger injury per a league source. The Celtics still have four more games in Las Vegas so there is a chance we will get a first glimpse at him later this week. He agreed to a two-year deal with Boston with a team option for the veteran’s minimum last week.
- Massachusetts sports betting is live. Learn more about the best sportsbooks in MA, including the latest Caesars promo code and details on WynnBet’s promo code.