Celtics fans knew this game was going to be focused on the play of Boston's young guards when 6'4" Romeo Langford was penciled in as the starting center, and the back court consisted of 6'1" Payton Pitchard and 5'11" Carsen Edwards.
Boston came away with the 85-83 win, but the rust was evident in the first minutes of the game, with The Green missing their first eight shots. Yam Madar was inserted, and that seemed to be the right move. Madar only played 17 minutes, but came away with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. He had a decent NBA debut.
But the stars for Boston were Pritchard and Edwards. While fully understanding the limited importance of Summer League, I like this relatively-undersized duo. Payton's Pace is always on fast mode, but Edwards, once he gets the ball, just goes for it. His speed and strength were on display, and he finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. At least for one game, he showed he is more than just a sporadic scoring machine.
Pritchard continues to show poise and confidence out there, notching 23 points, while adding five rebounds, five assists. and two steals. If Edwards sticks with Boston, I visualize the diminutive Pritchard/Edwards back court performing together on the second unit on occasion and pushing that ball upcourt and putting pressure on the opposition to get back to stop the attack.
Now to the phantom wing, Romeo Langford. He was on the floor for 30 minutes and had 12 points on 4-of-9 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. He also managed six rebounds and four assists. The hope is that he will remain injury-free, and fans will get to see what he can do on the offensive end for The Green.
Summer League play certainly doesn't determine what the final Celtics roster will look like, but Boston's guard quartet of Payton, Carsen, Romeo and Yam made a bit of a case for Brad Stevens not having to acquire a veteran point guard in the mode of Dennis Schroder.
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