Coming into last season, the Boston Celtics had been to three of the previous five Eastern Conference Finals. However, they had lost at that stage every time and hadn’t made it to the Finals since 2010. They finally broke through last season, taking down the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat along the way.
after taking a 2-1 lead over the golden state warriors in the finals, it looked like they could win a record-setting 18th championship. instead, their inability to care for the ball caught up with them, and they lost the next three games to suffer a heartbreaking loss.
As impressive as the Celtics were last season, it became clear down the stretch that they needed to improve their depth. Brad Stevens saw things the same way and solved that problem by signing Danilo Gallinari and trading for Malcolm Brogdon shortly after free agency began.
The Celtics now project to be one of the deepest teams in the league, and their rotation is largely set. They also didn’t have a first-round pick this year, which means this won’t be the most interesting or exciting situation in summer league. still, there are some players to watch both now and in the future. here’s everything you need to know:
celtics summer league schedule
every game on nba tv, espn and espn 2 can be streamed live on fubotv (try it for free).
- Saturday, July 9: Celtics vs. miami heat, 5:30 p.m. et – nba tv
- Monday, July 11: Celtics vs. milwaukee bucks, 8 p.m. m. et – nba tv
- Tuesday, July 12: Celtics vs. golden state warriors, 8 p. m. et – espn2
- Thursday, July 14: Celtics vs. memphis grizzlies, 3:30 p.m. et – nba tv
- to be determined
- Sam Hauser: Amid the flurry of moves the Celtics have made this summer, signing Hauser to a three-year deal probably went unnoticed by most casual observers. however, he will be the best and most important player of the summer celtics. An elite shooter who made 43.3 percent of his nine attempts per game in G-League, the team has high hopes that he can become a rotation player this season. Giving her a guaranteed long-term deal (even at a low annual salary) was a sign of his faith.
- Juhann Begarin: A late second-round pick last year, Begarin was a draft and stash player who spent last season in his native France. Still just 19, he is likely to return abroad again, especially given the Celtics’ newfound depth. still, he is a player to watch this summer, if only to check on his progress. he is an exceptional athlete and if his game develops, he could one day give the celtics some extra depth on the wing.
- jd davison: the celtics traded their first-round pick this year to the san antonio spurs in the derrick white trade, keeping only one second-round pick in the draft. They used it to get Davison out of Alabama. The 19-year-old is pretty raw, but he’s another great athlete who he emphasized several times in a recent interview that he wants to be “a dog” on the court. he’s going to be a long-term project, but it will be fun to see what he can do in his debut.
- trevion williams/mfiondu kabengele: we’re going to group these two together because they’re both great men who will fight for a chance to win one of the last spots on the celtics roster. After trading Daniel Theis to the Indiana Pacers in the Malcolm Brogdon trade, the Celtics need more depth up front and the only true great on the roster behind Robert Williams III and Al Horford is Luke Kornet. Chances are they’ll sign a veteran at some point, but both Williams and Kabengele have a real chance here.
list
juhann begin
guard/forward
19
2021: no. 45 total
jordan bone
guard
24
2019: no. 57 in all
jd davidson
guard
19
2022: no. 53 in all
sam hauser
forward
24
unredacted
jericole hellems
forward
22
unredacted
bryton hobbs
guard
30
unredacted
mfiondu kabengele
center
24
2019: no. 27 in all
aj reeves
guard
23
unredacted
mat ryan
forward
25
unredacted
brodric thomas
guard
25
unredacted
trevion williams
center
21
unredacted