LAS VEGAS — The Boston Celtics opened up their Summer League campaign with a 119-114 loss to the Miami Heat. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the way for Miami, ending the game with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. The soon-to-be sophomore was playing in a different stratosphere than everyone else on the court.
For the Celtics, Jaden Springer led the way in the scoring column, tallying 23 on the night. Neemias Queta followed closely behind with 20 and nine rebounds, while JD Davison put up 19 points and seven assists.
1. Jaden Springer is here
When the Celtics traded for Springer at the 2024 deadline, Brad Stevens had heaps of praise for the young guard.
“He also has a lot of growing to [do to] get better, and he’s committed to that,” said Stevens. “He’s got a long runway ahead of him. So, we’ll see how this year shakes itself out for him. See how it all fits with the team. But he’s a guy that we believe in.”
In his first Summer League game in green, he showed off why Boston went out and got him.
Springer was comfortable all night, weaving in and out of Miami’s defense. Every time he looked for his spot, he found it. And his three-point shot, which has been inconsistent throughout his career thus far, looked clean.
The 21-year-old looked to be laboring at times, slowly getting back and clearly out of breath, but his effort never wavered. He had two rebounds, six assists, and two steals to go along with his 23 points, pestering Miami on the defensive end as well.
If he can translate some of the skills he showed in this game to the NBA level, the Celtics could have an extremely intriguing project on their hands to deploy once Jrue Holiday retires.
“Right now, I feel like I’m pretty ready [to play NBA minutes],” Springer told reporters post-game. “Being able to watch the guys since I came here, watching them play, I feel like I’ve learned a lot. Being able to show my defensive effort [and] being able to fill any role they need me to, I feel like I can go there and help the team.”
2. Jordan Walsh’s no good, very bad day
This was certainly not the start Jordan Walsh envisioned when he was getting ramped up for Summer League. The 20-year-old wing, who spent the majority of this past season in the G League with Maine, simply couldn’t find his footing.
Walsh finished the night with four points, five rebounds, and six fouls, shooting 1-of-8 from the field and 0-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc.
Outside of a few promising defensive possessions, this one was a mess for the youngster. Not only was the shot not falling, but he was fouling far more than he should, and frustration took over by the time the fourth came around.
One bad game doesn’t define a player, and Walsh will have plenty of time to bounce back, but this was a rough first showing.
3. Neemias Queta hits and misses
By general standards, Queta had a good game. He put up 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and shot 9-of-15 from the field. But judging his performance by the standards of a player expected to step up and play real minutes in Boston next year, this showing was relatively underwhelming.
Quetta set solid screens and rolled to the rim well, but there was nothing outstanding about his performance.
Offensively, it’s clear that Queta’s touch around the rim still needs some serious work. Two or three of his rebounds came as a direct result of missed bunnies, and too often did he look stranded under the basket, unsure of where to go. Meanwhile, while Queta’s defense was solid, it seemed as though he missed a few rotation opportunities that could have led to blocks.
Overall, Queta played well, but he should be held to a higher standard. And by said standard, he should be looking to improve in the next game.
4. Jahmi’us Ramsey quietly showed out
Jahmi’us Ramsey looked solid. But looking at the box score afterward, his stats popped. The 23-year-old guard put up 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from deep.
He consistently got out in transition, hustled on the defensive end, and nailed his threes when given the chance—an area of his game that had been inconsistent in the early portion of his young career.
5. Baylor Scheierman fitting in nicely
Everything Baylor Scheierman did in his Summer League debut can be translated to a real NBA game and in a role that he will likely be playing.
Outside of some early nerves, Scheierman shot the ball with confidence when he got it, made quick-decision passes that led to nifty assists, and attacked the glass whenever he got the opportunity to do so. All of those things would be applicable in a potential role with Boston.
The rookie will have to cut down on the fouling, and his defense was a bit awkward. He moves his feet well, and he stuck with Jaquez for stretches, but he never jumps to close out possessions. The results were easy buckets for Miami and lackluster optics, but in reality, he has the outline of a solid team defender.
“Yeah, a little jitters at the start, obviously,” Scheierman said post-game. “But then, like you said, it kind of settled down, and [I] kind of got into a rhythm there. Especially in the second quarter, moving into the second half.
“And then, ultimately, just played my game. Tried to get my teammates involved. My teammates did a good job of finding me when I was open. And it was just a lot of fun.”
Fans should be very excited based on what Scheierman showed in his first game in green. After a shaky shooting start, he locked in, and he looked unafraid.
6. JD Davison shows promise
In a game the Celtics lost by four points, Davison was a +9. That tells the story pretty well. Davison was a quality point guard in this game. Plain and simple. He made nice passes, held up on defense, and perhaps most importantly, he nailed his three-point shots.
After a couple of years in the G League, Davison is rejoining the Celtics on a third-straight two-way contract.
“My plan was automatically to come back here anyways, regardless of what happened,” Davison said of playing for the Celtics in Summer League. “So, I didn’t know nothing about the two-way deal. My agent told me last minute.
“I just came in [knowing] I wanted to play for Boston because I’ve been here my last two years, going on my third one. So, I just wanted to be here.”
His opportunities to progress further will hinge on his three-point shot and defense, but Saturday was a good start.
7. Drew Peterson should have played more
The shot wasn’t there for Drew Peterson in this game. And the handle was awkward at times. But defensively, he looked like the Celtics’ second-best rim protector.
Every time Miami drove to the hoop, Peterson was there, using his length to disrupt shots at the rim. And his rebounding was essential for stretches of this one, too.
Peterson only played 17:06, likely due to his subpar offensive showing (0-of-4 from three), but the Celtics could have afforded him a bit more rope to play with.
8. The others
Anton Watson played solid ball when he was in the game. He didn’t do anything exceptional (except for a thunderous block on Jaquez), but he set solid screens and made some shots. Watson needs to let it fly from three a bit more, though.
His former college teammate, Killian Tillie, got some run in this game, too. Tillie didn’t show much. He moved his feet well on defense a few times, but after not playing ball for two years due to injuries, he evidently looked a bit behind. The big man couldn’t find a rhythm.
Ron Harper Jr. only played 10 minutes in this game and was fairly invisible. Both Jaelen House and Tristan Enaruna didn’t see any court time.
