The Celtics begin Las Vegas Summer League with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. This is the Celtics first game this summer but it is the Grizzlies 3rd game since they also played in Salt Lake City. The Grizzlies finished Salt Lake Summer League with a 1-2 record. They beat Oklahoma City by 12 and then lost to Utah by 1 and Philadelphia by 1.
The Celtics roster includes 14 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 and showed 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 expected to play for the Celtics in Summer League. Hugo Gonzalez, the Celtics lone first round pick, is expected to be on the Celtics roster this season and should be exciting to watch in Summer League. The Celtics 2nd round picks, Amari Williams and Max Shulga, are both expected to sign 2-way contracts with the Celtics this season.
The Grizzlies bring 19 players into Summer League. They will feature Cedric Coward, who was the 11th pick, traded from Portland in this draft. They will also feature Javon Small, who was the 48th pick in this year’s draft. They will also include Jahmai Mashack, who was the 59th pick in the draft.
GG Jackson II, who was the #45 Pick in 2023 Draft, Jaylen Wells, who was the #39 Pick in 2024 Draft, and Cam Spencer, whose draft rights were traded from Detroit on 07/06/24 all started in 2 of the 3 games for Memphis in Salt Lake City and all 3 played very well in those games.
Matt Reynolds will be the Celtics 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. Tuomas Isalo, the first Finnish-born coach in the NBA, was an assistant coach with the Grizzlies last season. Iisalo was promoted to interim head coach after Taylor Jenkins was fired. He was later named head coach of the Grizzlies and will be coaching the Grizzlies in Summer League.
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)
Head Coach
Matt Reynolds
Grizzlies Roster
Armando Bacot
Ace Baldwin
Cedric Coward
Aaron Estrada
Jahmai Mashack
Zyon PullinJ
avori Small
Ante Brzovich
Tyler Burton
Phlandrous Fleming, Jr
Nate Hinton
GG Jackson II
Jeremy Jones
Lawson Lovering
Will Magnay
Bo Montgomery
Efton Reid III
Cam Spencer
Jaylen Wells
Head Coach
Tuomas Isalo
Possible Starters
The Grizzlies started Pullin, Spencer, Wells, Jackson and Bacot in the first 2 games in Salt Lake City. They started Mashack, Fleming, Hinton, Jones, and Reid in the 3rd game, while the 5 starters from the first 2 games didn’t play. I’m going to guess that they once again start Pullin, Spencer, Wells, Jackson and Bacot.
It’s anyone’s guess who the Celtics will start in this game. I’m going to take a wild guess that Shulga, Scheierman, Gonzalez, Lofton and Williams get the start. It’s been reported that Celtics fans will love Gonzalez because he plays very hard and puts a lot of effort on the defensive end. The Celtics need centers and Williams could make the team if he shows out in Summer League.
Players to Watch
Boston Celtics
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Hugo Gonzalez
Gonzalez was the #28 pick in the draft. He has played professionally for Real Madrid since 2022. Jordan Walsh had this to say about Gonzalez: “He plays hard. Really hard,” Walsh said. “Fans are gonna love that. He plays hard, he dives on the floor, he’s a defensive menace, and he attacks the rim with force.”
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Jordan Walsh
This is Jordan Walsh’s 3rd season in the league and 3rd Summer League. He needs to take a leap this season if he wants to get playing time and find a spot in the Celtics rotation.
Memphis Grizzlies
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GG Jackson
Jackson started 2 of the 3 games in Salt Lake City and averaged 23.5 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block per game. He was the 45th Pick in the 2023 Draft and played very well for the Grizzlies in the Salt Lake City Summer League.
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Cedric Coward
Coward was a lottery pick by the Trailblazers and was traded to the Grizzlies on draft night. He was picked #11 in this year’s draft. He didn’t play for the Grizzlies in any of the Grizzlies 3 games in Salt Lake City. We should get to see him in this one.
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, but all should get a chance to play.
Chemistry – The Celtics are playing in their first Summer League game while the Grizzlies are playing in their 4th. The Grizzlies should have better chemistry after playing games together in Salt Lake City. The Celtics will be nervous in their first game and also trying to find chemistry with each other that the Grizzlies already started to build in their first 3 games.
Defense and Rebounding – Whether it is Summer League, Preseason, Regular Season or Playoffs, defense and rebounding are always keys to getting a win. The team that plays harder on the defensive end and that crashes the boards for rebounds, will likely get the win.
Final Thoughts
The league isn’t all that big on either of these teams as they are relegated to an afternoon game and are on NBA-TV rather than ESPN. However, for Celtics fans, there are reasons to watch. Reports are that Gonzalez is fun to watch and plays very hard and he could find a role for the Celtics this season. Walsh and Scheierman are returning players with a chance to be rotation players this season. Which players will step up? We could see the ones who do with playing time on the Celtics.
