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WALTHAM, Mass. – The Boston Celtics’ draft picks have been eager to get their feet wet with some NBA-level competition since Draft Night more than a week ago, and now their wish is finally coming true.
Boston’s Summer League team held its first practice session on Thursday, and then held a double-session on Friday in preparation for its Summer League slate that is set to begin on July 4 against Philadelphia in Salt Lake City.
It’s been an impressive first two days, according to assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry, as the roster is loaded with young, ambitious talent all over the court.
“It’s like any kind of typical first practice: They all want to please, so they’re playing really hard,” said Shrewsberry, who will act as the team’s head coach in Utah. “Those guys went at it tooth and nail and there’s a lot of guys that have somebody to compete with, so that’s made it even more fun.”
Among those who are raising the bar from a competitive standpoint is No. 3 overall draft pick Jaylen Brown, who has been itching to prove himself since being drafted last Thursday.
“I’m a competitive guy and this is a first class organization, so I just couldn’t wait to get started,” Brown said in between sessions Friday afternoon. “Now things are rolling; the rubber has hit the road, so now it’s about separating yourself, working hard and adding to this playoff team.”
Separating oneself is the biggest challenge for each these young players, especially for those who are fresh out of college. While they may have been stars at their respective universities, they’re now getting a small, but powerful taste of how difficult it is to make a mark at a professional level.
“There’s somebody that’s just like you right next to you, so there’s two of you at every practice,” said second-round pick Ben Bentil, who led Providence College and the Big East in scoring last season. “You just gotta pick up the pace and bring it every day.”
While the roster is loaded with five rookie draft picks, it’s also laden with experienced guys who are familiar with Boston’s system. Exactly half of Boston’s 14-man roster are returnees from last year’s Summer League team, including second-year players Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter and Jordan Mickey, along with third-year guard James Young.
That experience is making an immense impact on Boston’s youth early on; for example, Rozier’s tenacity already appears to be bringing out the best in rookie point guard Demetrius Jackson.
“The best thing for Demetrius is to learn from Terry,” noted Shrewsberry. “Terry’s going to guard people, he’s going to get after people, he’s going to put pressure on them.
“Even a guy who will pop in like Marcus Smart, who comes in and practices every once in a while with his physicality against those young guys. They’re not going to see that type of defense until the season starts. So being able to learn now for Demetrius is great, and then he goes right back at Terry. So the both of them being able to have one another is just going to raise each others’ level.”
A Young Leader Emerging for SL Squad
Another guy who’s attempting to raise his level of play this summer is James Young, who is back for his third Summer League session.
It’s unusual to have a third-year player on a Summer League squad, but the 20-year-old guard is looking to use the upcoming slate of contests as a means to elevate his game with the hope of earning a more consistent role with the C's next season.
“I’ve just been working on my overall game and everything is starting to come together,” said Young. “I’m a young guy so I can only get better.”
Not only does Young plan to utilize the Summer League as a learning platform, but he’s also using it as a way to teach others, given that he has the most NBA experience of any player on the squad.
“It’s an opportunity for him to use his voice more – something that he doesn’t do during the season when a lot of the older guys are doing a lot more talking,” said Shrewsberry. “He can do that now; he can lead and kind of come out of his shell a little bit.”
Young admitted that taking a leadership role is “kind of weird” considering that he’s the third-youngest player on the team, but he’s embracing it so far.
“I’m still one of the youngest guys, yet some of the guys look up to me,” said Young. “So I’m just giving them some of the facts – stuff that I’ve learned. [I tell them], ‘Every day just come in and work hard. Don’t take any days off, and good stuff will come.’”
As long as the team takes that advice to heart, the Celtics should be in store for some Summer League success during the coming weeks.