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Celtics have shown tough play and dominance in Summer League

We are only two games in, but the Celtics Summer League crew have given fans some real hope. They took out the Philadelphia 76'ers 96-82 on Saturday and defeated the Cavaliers last night by a score of 89-72. Here is the long-and-short of what I have witnessed.

Let's start with the "long" part - Tacko Fall. According to Draft Express' Jonathan Givony, Tacko broke all kinds of records for height (7'7"), wingspan (8'2.25") and standing reach (10'2.5") at the Combine. He comes in at 289 pounds and is big in every sense of the word, but he doesn't move like it.

Last night versus Cleveland, he scored 12 points in 11 minutes on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field. His teammates looked for him down low, and he delivered. I see no distance shots from him yet, but he did can both of his free throws. Fall has become an immediate fan favorite. Barring injury, he should be able to have a long NBA career. That is his floor. No one yet knows his ceiling, but no one expected an undrafted 7'7" guy to move as fluidly as Tacko can. He seems to be a project, but his future is intriguing.


The "short-of-it" would be the diminutive back court of Carsen Edwards and Tremont Williams, standing at 6' and 5'11", respectively. They are driving the opposition nuts with their relentless defense. Waters logged 19 minutes last night, while notching 11 points on 5-of-9 from the field. He added four rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Edwards poured in 14 points against the Cavs in every way imaginable. This guy just never stops moving on both ends of the floor. I just see no way that he doesn't end up on Boston's 15-man roster this coming season.




Grant Williams only had five points last night, but he came away with six boards, three assists and once again a team-high plus/minus, this time a +20. Grant's quick fake/spin/drive move brought me back to an offensive mainstay of Big Red (as Johnny Most called him), Dave Cowens. G-Will may never get to star-status, but he seems as solid as they come.


Not to go unnoticed was guard Javonte Green. In 20 minutes he put up eight points, grabbed five rebounds, passed off for four assists and added three steals. This Summer version of the guys in green just play hard, their 14 steals being Exhibit A. They give up nothing, and their play is a breath of fresh air after last season's many disappointments. They are fun to watch, and isn't entertainment the main reason we follow the NBA?

Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel and Facebook


Comments

  1. Glad to see you back on the grind, Tom!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You and others really made this a passion for me. You stood out when, at times, I felt like a lost soul crying in the wilderness. Please keep in touch.

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