The Celtics look to win their 3rd straight Summer League game as they take on the Miami Heat. Both of these teams are playing in back to back games. The Celtics defeated the Knicks on Sunday while the Heat lost to the Cavaliers 92-72. This is the Celtics 3rd game this summer while the Heat are playing in their 6th game, having gone 2-1 in California Summer League.
The Celtics roster includes 15 players including undrafted players, the Celtics 3 draft picks, 2 way players and 2 players from the Celtics roster last season. Jordan Walsh returns as a 3rd year player. Baylor Scheierman is entering his second season after showing some flashes last season. Miles Norris returns after half a season as a 2 way player with the Celtics.
The Celtics 3 draft picks are also playing for the Celtics in Summer League. Hugo Gonzalez, the Celtics lone first round pick, is expected to be on the Celtics roster this season was exciting to watch against the Grizzlies but sat out against the Knicks in the first half of back to back games. The Celtics 2nd round picks, Amari Williams and Max Shulga, are both expected to sign 2-way contracts with the Celtics this season.
Charles Bassey, who wasn’t on the Celtics roster until just before their first game, was perhaps the Celtics biggest surprise in their first 2 games. Bassey was the 53rd pick by Philadelphia in 2021 and was waived after one year. He was signed by San Antonio as a 2 way player but was later converted to a regular contract. He injured his knee in March of 2022 and missed the rest of that season. He then tore his ACL in December of 2023 and missed that season. He played in 36 games for the Spurs last season. The Celtics are thin in the frontcourt and so Bassey could have a chance to earn a contract with the team. Hopefully the Celtics will sign him before another team does.
The Heat features first round picks, second round picks and 9 undrafted players. Pelle Larsson played in 55 games for the Heat last season while Kel’el Ware played in 64 games for the Heat. Kasparas Jakucionis was the Heat’s first round pick (#20) this year. Kira Lewis,Jr was a lottery pick in 2020 and has played for Pelicans, Raptors, and Jazz but hasn’t caught on as yet. Keshad Johnson was undrafted in 2024 and was signed to a 2 way contract and then to a standard contract with the Heat and played 16 games with them last season.
Matt Reynolds is the head coach for the Celtics Summer League team. Reynolds started as the Video Coordinator for the Celtics in 2015. He has been an assistant coach for the club since 2022. Eric Glass is the head coach for the Heat Summer League team. Glass has been with the Heat in various positions for 15 years. He started as an intern in the video room and then served as video coordinator, player development coach, assistant coach, and head coach of the Heat’s G-League team among other things.
Boston Celtics Roster
Jordan Walsh (38th pick 2023)
Baylor Scheierman (30th pick 2024)
Hugo Gonzalez (28th pick 2025)
Max Shulga (57th pick 2025)
Amari Williams (46th pick 2025)
Aaron Scott (undrafted rookie)
Ben Gregg (undrafted rookie)
Zach Hicks (undrafted rookie)
Hayden Gray (undrafted rooie)
Miles Norris (undrafted 2023- 2 way player with Boston)
Kenneth Loftin, Jr (undrafted, 3rd year, MVP in China last season)
Jalen Bridges (2-way player with Phoenix, played 8 games with Suns)
Kendall Brown (48th pick in 2022)
Isaiah Wong (55th pick in 2023, played 20 games with Charlotte)
Charles Bassey (53rd pick in 2021, Played for Philadelphia and San Antonio)
Miami Heat Roster
Kel’el Ware (#15 pick in 2024)
Pelle Larson (#44 pick in 2024, rights traded from Houston)
Keshad Johnson (undrafted 2024, signed 7/1/24)
Kasparas Jakucionis (#20 pick 2025)
Vladislav Goldin (signed to 2 way contract 7/2/25)
Kira Lewis, Jr (13th pick 2020, has played for Pelicans, Raptors, and Jazz)
Bryson Warren
Marcus Williams
James Caron Butler, Jr
Javonte Cooke
Erik Stevenson
Steve Settle III
Myron Gardner
Dain Dainja
Oumar Ballo
Head Coach
Eric Glass
Possible Starters
The Celtics started Max Shulga, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh and Amari Williams in Friday’s game against the Grizzlies. Against the Knicks on Sunday, they started Shulga, Walsh, Scheierman, Bridges and Williams. I expect Gonzalez to play in this game, whether he returns to the starting lineup or not remains to be seen since Bridges played well in his place on Sunday. Of course, in Summer League, they may start any random 5 players and not necessarily start the same 5 or the best 5.
In their first Las Vegas game, the Heat started Stevenson, Larsson, Jakucionas, Johnson and Ware. In their second game against the Cavaliers, they started Lewis, Jakucionis, Larsson, Johnson and Ware. In their 3 games in the California Summer League, they started combinations of Lewis, Jr, Jakucionis, Johnson, Larsson, Ware, Cooke, Warren, Gardner, and Goldin. I would guess that Lewis, Jakucionis, Larsson, Johnson and Ware start this game.
Key Matchup
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Charles Bassey
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
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Kel’el Ware
Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images
Charles Bassey vs Kel’el Ware
Both of these centers have NBA experience and both will likely be on an NBA roster this season. Both centers are rim protectors and rebounders. Ware, however, spreads the floor and hits 3’s while Bassey plays mostly in the paint. Ware averaged 16 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks in his first 2 games in Las Vegas.
Keys to the Game
It’s Summer League – Both coaches are going to be looking at players to see if any of them play well enough to make the main roster. They are also looking at players for their G-League teams. Some players may get a lot of playing time and some will play very little. Players who started last game may sit this game or they may start again and the players who are showing the most promise should get more playing time.
Defense and Rebounding – Whether it is Summer League, Preseason, Regular Season or Playoffs, defense and rebounding are always keys to getting a win. The Celtics pulled down 45 rebounds in their first game while the Knicks pulled down 38 rebounds in their first game. The team that plays harder on the defensive end and that crashes the boards for rebounds, will likely get the win.
Fatigue – Both teams are playing in back to back games. This is the 3rd game in 4 nights for both teams. The Heat are playing in their 6th Summer League game after playing 3 games in the California Summer League. While both teams have plenty of players so that no one needs to play big minutes, some players may feel some fatigue down the stretch of this one.
Players to Watch
Boston Celtics
Jordan Walsh – Walsh played very well on Friday, finishing with a game high 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. On Sunday, he seemed to be pushing too hard, and he struggled with his shot while committing 7 fouls. He is one of 2 players on non-guaranteed contracts and with the possibility of veterans being available and players like Charles Bassey playing very well, Walsh needs to show that he is worth the roster spot.
Hugo Gonzalez – Gonzalez impressed in his debut on Friday, finishing with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. He played hard, especially on defense. He definitely looks like he will be able to help the team this season. He sat out on Sunday in the first of back to back games and most Celtics fans will be watching to see what he does in this game.
Baylor Scheierman – Scheierman struggled offensively in his first outing on Friday, finishing with 8 points on 2-14 shooting from the field and 1-8 from beyond the arc. He did show some good things though with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. On Sunday, he started off strong and finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Although he shot just 1-7 from beyond the arc, he showed that he has an all around game.
Miami Heat
Kel’el Ware – Ware played in 64 games for the Heat last season and started 36 of them, averaging 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He is coming off a game on Sunday with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 blocks. He has definitely earned a spot on the Heat this season and should continue to impress in this game.
Pelle Larsson – Larsson played in 55 games for the Heat last season and started 8 of them, averaging 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. In the 2 games so far, he averaged 15 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 asssists, and 1 steal per game.
Kasparas Jakucionis – The Heat’s first round pick has played well in all of his games so far in Summer League. In 2 games in Las Vegas, he averaged 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Final Thoughts
The Celtics have had various players show promise and upside in their 2 games so far. Charles Bassey looks like a Summer League steal so far, The Celtics first round draft pick showed that he definitely can play in the NBA. Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman both have struggled somewhat but also played well at times. They have a chance to be rotation players this season. Williams and Shulga both showed some promise and should have a good season in Maine the Celtics. Jalen Bridges played well on Sunday as well. Who will stand out in this game?
