With Hugo Gonzalez, Chris Cenac, and Dillon Mitchell on the bench for Game 5, we got a good look at Amari Williams, Milos Uzan, Tucker DeVries, and John Tonje in Boston’s finale against Orlando — all players either directly or tangentially related to the Celtics. Williams will again be on a two-way contract and split his time in Maine and Boston; he’ll be eligible to play 50 games with the big club. Uzan and DeVries have Exhibit 10 deals for training camp in October and will most likely join the G League affiliate in Maine. Tonje is effectively a free agent after he was traded to the Celtics last season in the Chris Boucher deal and his option was declined.
To make it to the bigs, role players have to have at least one portable NBA skill. Think Sam Hauser and his three-point shooting or Jordan Walsh’s lockdown defense. They can build out from there, but for anybody showcasing their talents at Summer League, unless you’re a lottery pick expected to be a face of the franchise, you’re working to be a complementary player.
With that in mind, in Boston’s 103-97 loss to the Magic in their Sin City finale, the Celtics got a good look at some of those players.
Williams is such an interesting prospect because of his unique ability to be an offensive hub in the high post. Unless you’re Nikola Jokic, it’s not a skill that most teams will try to develop with their bigs, particularly one so far down on the depth chart. With Williams, the Celtics seem dead set on trying to make that happen. He has definitely shown a willingness to work outside of the restricted area and use his 6’11 frame as a watch tower in the half court over the last week in Vegas. Here’s a nifty find on the back cut for the hockey assist.
There’s a long way between “Amari loves to pass” and “Mazzulla can rely on Williams to be a playmaker above the break,” but the team will have another year to see if this is a real development in his game.
With Uzan, there’s no question he can play. Even with the short turnaround of putting together a Summer League roster, getting a few practices in together, and developing chemistry with his teammates, it’s obvious that he’s got the skills to run point on a team. He averaged a tidy 9-4-4 through five games and finished with nine points in 17 minutes on Saturday.
Depending on whether Mitchell signs a standard deal or gets put on a two-way, Uzan’s future with the franchise is still up in the air, but at least expect him Maine green.
DeVries again showed that he’s capable of contributing from beyond the arc. He hit 3-of-6 against the Magic and finished his summer slate making 9-of-27. Of all the niche skills, shooting will always be a premium that teams will look for on the edges of their salary cap, especially with today’s collective bargaining agreement. DeVries was a 36% three-point shooter in five years at the college level, but if he can hit Hauser’s over-40% watershed mark, he’ll find a job somewhere in this league, if not in Boston.
The curious case is Tonje. The shooting is real. He averaged 14.2 points per game in Vegas at a high efficiency rate (51% from the field, 45% from 3) with 14 points in the finale on 6-of-9 shooting. Another year in the G League could lead to a promotion like Ron Harper Jr.
Here’s CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell on Tonje’s improved defense and John shouting out his development coach.
And as much of a revelation as some of the players were, this summer’s sensation was also the premiere of Amile Jefferson as a head coach. Here’s a snippet again from from Noa’s profile on the 33-year-old coach:
“On a regular day-to-day basis, you just see me walking around – I’m very calm, very smiley, just easy to be around,” Jefferson told CelticsBlog in an exclusive conversation. “But, as a player, or when I’m coaching, that side gets unlocked, and then I get super competitive, and I’m a totally different person.”
Near center-court, Jefferson emphatically clenches his fist when Hugo Gonzalez sinks a three-pointer.
“That’s a foul, ref!” he belts each time he believes the whistle should have been blown.
“I’m trying to let them know that I’m in the fight with them, that they’re not alone,” Jefferson said. “And making sure they can hear my voice, making sure they know that I can help them be organized, making sure that they know that I got their back. And whether it’s screaming out a call or coverage, or whether it’s just giving an encouraging word, when I’m out there, I’m locked in – and probably am a little bit of a different person.”
Make sure to check out that piece at CelticsBlog.
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