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Recap: C’s win Summer League opener

Boston won it’s first game of the 2016 NBA Summer League by beating the Sixers 102-94. We’re all pretty spent here after the drama of the past few days, but here’s a quick recap:

Jaylen Brown struggled from the field (2 of 7) in his first NBA game, but did put in 16 points. Most of them came at the free throw line were he went 11 of 17. Brown looked aggressive and showed some of the strength & athleticism that scouts raved about before the draft.

Terry Rozier however was the best player on the floor in my opinion. Rozier looked fantastic while compiling a line of 18 points, (game high) 6 rebounds & 5 assists. With Isaiah, Smart & Rozier, Brad Stevens has a solid trio of guards that each bring something special to the table.

RJ Hunter put in 17 points and had 3 of Boston’s 11 treys tonight. The Celtics used the three ball early & often and shot 50% for the game. Ben Bentil had 11 points & 6 rebounds in 17 minutes and free agent Malcolm Miller impressed with 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting.

Brian Robb of Celtics Hub reported earlier today that Jordan Mickey will not be in Utah for the start of Summer League. He is back in Boston having treatment for a shoulder injury & could join the team later.

First overall pick Ben Simmons scored 10 points before leaving the game when both calves/legs cramped up. Simmons had to be helped off the floor late in the game.

The Celts are back at it tomorrow when they face the Jazz at 7pm EST.

Box score

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  • zippittyay

    Despite previous percentages, I have always liked Rozier’s outside jumper. Nice form and shot with confidence.

  • mightymouse235

    Ben Bentil was quietly impressive.

  • Sean McLaughlin

    Ben Bentil and Yabusele both got upside. Cut Young and Hunter and sign em!

    • Curt Hays

      Trade all 4 of them plus Marcus Smart and cash for a one-year gamble on Westbrook. He and IT4 will complement one another.

      • Sean McLaughlin

        I could go for that… Seeing a lot of Net’s picks proposals for him on Twitter this morning. Definitely not liking that seeing as he’d just be a 1yr rental most likely.

        • Curt Hays

          Not once he sees how fun it is playing against LeBron in the ECF.

          • Sean McLaughlin

            I hear ya, that’s just a really big gamble. Suffice it to say I like your trade scenario better than using future first rounders from Brooklyn is all. Maybe one of OUR first round pics could be packaged.

  • Adam Stark

    Having Rozier Improve is huge for Boston seeing as Turner is gone. I like the idea of a bench unit of Rozier, Smart, Brown, Sully and Olynyk.

  • Curtis Monroe

    From what I saw, a lot of ball hogging out there.

    Rozier played well, but he seems to have only one gear. Would behoove him to ratchet things down once in a while. That dunk at the end was a foolish play. Could have hurt himself there.

    Jaylen Brown did ok. Liked his aggressiveness, but his finishing was awful. Seemed like once he had the ball, he was determined to go to the hoop. Hopefully he can learn to dish off once in a while.

    I’m a GSU alum, so I am pulling for R J Hunter, but I was disappointed with his game. Looked to be out of shape and still looks lost on defense. Balanced some good offensive play with some really bad shots. Looks like he’ll be a great coach someday, but I’m starting to doubt whether he’ll make it as a pro.

    The other guy I root for is Marcus Thornton. After the “beer tipper” incident, he has a soft spot for me. Seems like a guy who could develop into a decent bench player, but development is not the NBA’s strong suit.

    The guy who helped himself was Malcolm Miller (+20). With Butler, Brown, and Mitchelll, could we handle another Malcolm?

    Unsung moment – after a play where Brown got fouled, Yabusele restrained hime when things looked a little tense. Showed good awareness.

    • KWAPT

      When you consider it’s the first time these guys have all played together, I think it could’ve been a lot worse. They barely know each other let alone being able to trust one another. And when you factor in that some of them are trying to earn a roster spot, the ball hogging makes sense. I agree on RJ-he really needs to get into the gym & bulk up. He was tossed around like a rag doll at times.

    • Curt Hays

      RJ as a coach? Maybe a weight loss coach. He hasn’t shown that he knows anything whatsoever about defense. He seems to understand offensive sets somewhat, but he always seems surprised when the other team scores. He knows nothing about defensive rotations…and he can barely shuffle his feet.

  • NE_Celt

    Rozier looked great, and is damn quick. He showed the ability to knock down some shots last year in his few minutes of play, looks like he is keeping that up which is great.

    Young looked like he might actually play good hitting his first few shots, but then he went back to being the same old Young we are used to. I think this kid already had his last chance, but if he doesn’t show up in summer league, he is gone, or should be.

    RJ def disappointed me. He looks the same, doesn’t look to have bulked up any. And he didn’t shoot all that great, for being his #1 trait. And he wasn’t doing well as a facilitator either, which was the surprise from last year. And I think he had the most fouls out of anyone, also not a good sign.

    Yabusele didn’t really show me much, other then he is a big bulky player and will have trouble keeping up with the faster forwards and centers in todays game. He wasn’t really dominating with his bulk out there.

    And as for Brown, he had some moments, and in the end his stat line isn’t too bad, but most of his scoring was from the free throw line. It would be nice to see a few more shots from him and maybe some actual finishes at the basket or dishes to someone who is open.

    My biggest disappointment of the night however, was that Mickey is injured, I was really looking forward to seeing him play and blocking some shots. I think they could of used his springs and swatters last night.

    • Curt Hays

      Young definitely should be gone.

      RJ should be gone. His dad never taught him how to play defense, and, while being skinny is okay if you can play like Pistol Pete, RJ doesn’t seem to have any idea how to do anything but shoot in volume. He always looks clueless.

      Brown, he really is like a Jeff Green. He drives when he shouldn’t and runs right into the defense. If he doesn’t realize that he’s playing against NBA players now, IT4, at 5’9″, will have fewer blocked shots than Jaylen.

      • NE_Celt

        oh god…I never made that comparison of Brown to Green…lets hope that was just one game…….that just gave me shivers.