Skip to main content

Five takeaways from Celtics 96-82 Summer League win over 76'ers

The most obvious good news is that Boston won their first Summer League game by defeating Philadelphia 96-82. There are a number of bright spots, but lets get the bad news out of the way.

1.) Guerschon Yabusele needs to be traded
I have held off on writing this for close to a year, but going into his third NBA season, it looks like Yabu may have been re-signed by Danny Ainge simply for future trade purposes. In the Philly game, he played 16 minutes - did not score (0-of-4 from the field) - while coming away with a team-low plus/minus of -12. He is signed this season for $3.1 million, a sum that may be useful in a trade, and he is slated for $4.8 million next season with a team option. This young Frenchman is loved by everybody, but I don't see him as a long-term player in the Big League.

2.) Carsen Edwards looks like keeper
Yes, I know it was only one game from Summer League, but in 28 minutes, Carsen notched 20 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc. He added three steals and was everywhere on the court on both offense and defense. Edwards has range - extreme range on his shots. Prior to the draft, I had hoped Ainge would find a way to grab this guy, and he did.

3.) Center Rob Williams is ready for more floor time in the regular season
Rob scored nine points , grabbed nine boards, while coming up with three steals and two blocks. Williams' limited games and minutes from last season may be a thing of the past. Enes Kanter may grab the bulk of minutes at the 5-spot, but TIMELORD seems ready for more action.

4.) Grant Williams will make an impact this season
Grant had a solid outing, scoring 12 points on 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 on treys. Throw in six rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and a team-high plus/minus of +21, and that makes for a great start for him. In the regular season, expect him to log significant minutes at power forward - and occasionally at small-ball center.

5.) Javonte Green was a pleasant surprise
The 6'4", 25-year-old guard scored 12 points on 4-of-9 from the field while notching five rebounds and three assists. This young man has genuine hops, and it will be interesting to see if he can display these talents in the remaining Summer League contests.

The Celtics face Cleveland in their second Summer League clash tonight at 7:30 P.M. Stay with us for more analysis for what is happening this off-season and what we may expect from Danny Ainge and his crew going forward.


Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel and Facebook

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the town police force. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the st

In defense of Marcus Smart

 Let me make it clear first of all that I am totally against making a threat of any kind that even hints at harming, or certainly killing, another human being. Marcus Smart was wrong in doing so in the Celtics loss to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder , and he deserved the one-game suspension. But to be honest, part of me loved that it occurred. . This type of thing can happen when a player gets to a point "beyond frustration" and is having a bad game. Marcus and his teammates have been under-performing generally - were in the process of losing to a pathetic-and-tanking Thunder team - and Smart was having a bad game . And he let loose verbally at the closest target - an NBA official. Wilt Chamberlain did a similar act versus referee, Earl Strom when Wilt was having his usual tortuous time at the free throw line (per Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith): ''He was in one of those 1-for-13s,'' recalls referee Earl Strom. ''Nothing was getting close. S

Did the Celtics Kevin McHale really have a wingspan of 8-feet?

According to many sources, the Celtics Kevin McHale did indeed have an estimated wingspan of 8-feet. One of those sources is Wikipedia, as seen below: Kevin McHale American basketball player DescriptionKevin Edward McHale is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and is regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Wikipedia Born: December 19, 1957 (age 61 years), Hibbing, MN Wingspan: 8′ 0″ Height: 6′ 10″ Spouse: Lynn McHale (m. 1982) NBA draft: 1980, Boston Celtics (Round: 1 / Pick: 3) Hall of fame induction: 1999 Number: 32 (Boston Celtics / Power forward, Center) Kevin was listed at 6'10" tall when he was drafted with the 3rd pick in the 1980 draft. Red Auerbach, in yet another heist, brought in both McHale and center Robert Parish (via trade) prior to the Celtics' 1980-81 Champion