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After dominating their NBA Summer League opponents prior to the tournament's championship game on Tuesday (August 17), the Boston Celtics were routed by the Sacramento Kings.
Before their match against the Kings, the Celtics had topped the scoring and assists charts in their opening four fixtures. However, they were limited to just 67 points on the night, with leader Payton Pritchard scoring a meager six.
Despite the loss, the Summer League was a huge success for the Celtics and has brought greater attention to their younger players who could make a big impact this season.
How did the Boston Celtics' role players perform in the NBA Summer League?
The Boston Celtics went into the NBA Summer League with one of the strongest rosters. So it was no surprise to see them make it to the championship game. However, what fans will be most excited about is the manner in which they got there.
Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford could all have significant roles to play on the Celtics' team this season and were electric in Las Vegas.
Before their final game, Pritchard had averaged 20.3 points and 8.6 assists per game. Despite scoring only six points against the Kings, he still showed the positives of his overall skillset, putting up eight assists and six boards. That performance was preceded by a staggering 92-point showing at the Portland ProAm game.
Nesmith, expected to fill into the forward rotation this season, also had a successful NBA Summer League. The former lottery pick finished the five games having averaged 17.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and a +/- of nine.
Romeo Langford enjoyed having a more important role to play in Las Vegas and will hope that this transpires into more minutes with the Boston Celtics this season. The shooting guard, playing in just three of the games, was efficient from the floor and connected with 44% of field-goal efforts and 38.5% of threes. Overall, he averaged 11 points, 3.3 rebounds and two assists per game.
Outwith these three, Carsen Edwards was also mightily impressive, putting up 13.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Although he shot the ball poorly and will likely be further down the pecking order for the upcoming season, he did his reputation no harm during the summer league.
Boston Celtics Summer League stats
In their five 2021 NBA Summer League contests, the Boston Celtics went 4-1 and averaged 93.4 points per game. Before their loss to the Kings, they had averaged 100 points in each contest. They led all sides in Las Vegas for field-goal percentage (46.7%) and connected with the second-most threes (36.3%).
The Boston Celtics also finished with the most assists per game (24.2) and had the fourth-best +/-.
Statistically, the C's were one of the best and most-efficient sides in the tournament. But they were ultimately thwarted by the Kings' defense and abysmal shooting from deep, connecting with only seven of the 36 threes attempted.
How did second-round pick Juhann Begarin perform?
Juhann Begarin was selected with the Boston Celtics' 45th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft after playing professionally in France for two years. He wasn't expected to feature in the C's summer league team, with Brad Stevens wanting to send him back to France to play for another season. However, the 6'5" guard requested through his agent to feature for Boston this summer to prove he could make the step up to the NBA.
In the five games he played, both at guard and at forward, Begarin showed his versatility and his willingness to work hard and make it in the league. His stats were relatively quiet, though, averaging 6.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, three assists and a block per game. Nevertheless, his non-stop attitude on the court earned him three starts - including in the title matchup - which wasn't bad for a player who wasn't even in the Celtics' summer league plans initially.
The Celtics already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, which makes it unlikely that Begarin will earn a place on the Boston Celtics roster for the upcoming season. However, he is certainly one to watch for the future thanks to his obvious athleticism and excellent ability to read the game.
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