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LAS VEGAS The Boston Celtics kicked off their summer league with a very summer league game where they shot terribly early on, got blocked a ton, then came back once the shots started falling.
They ended up winning the game in overtime, getting double-doubles from three Celtics and a near triple-double from Hugo Gonzalez (despite him shooting 19%).
Heres how the five main Celtics players performed Hugo Gonzalez He struggled a little to get by defenders, turning the ball over a couple of times early on.
He eventually was able to find some success with his passing, starting with a great find of Chris Cenac Jr.
under the basket on a drive.
The biggest feature of his night was a nice two-man game with Amari Williams.
They were able to play off each other nicely in pick-and-rolls through a variety of actions.
This lob play in the third was wonderful That's just a well-executed play taking advantage of Williams operating out of the high post and Gonzalezs feel for the game.
And this wrap-around pass a little later was very impressive.
That's great vision.
I think Gonzalez forced some of his shots and drives.
I think he tried to play like a superstar player and it wasnt there yet.
As high as I am on Gonzalez, I dont think hell become a superstar-type.
But I do think he played better than his 3-16 shooting would indicate.
He finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, and there is a lot more room for him to grow.
I think the goal is to improve a bit of everything and try to become a more complete player, Gonzalez said after the game (in Spanish, which was translated by Google).
Some days I might be driving to the basket but turning the ball over a lot; other days I might be making good reads on the pick-and-roll but not hitting as many shots.
Its simply about continuing to work on every aspect of my game and putting a bit of emphasis on the areas where Im struggling.
Amari Williams He had a few possessions defensively where he was out of position, but then he also found ways to protect the rim, including a monster block early in the game.
I do think he was running out of gas later in the game, but he still was in the right spots for Gonzalez to rack up assists by giving him the ball.
Williams passing was better than the two assists would indicate.
The Celtics ran a fair amount through him in the high post and he was an effective facilitator.
He finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Celtics in both categories.
The Golden Rule of Summer League says this success between two teammates familiar with each other is nice but not indicative of how it would work against real NBA defenses.
So Im not going to overreact to this nice game from him.
However, it was good to see him in the right position to get those passes.
That's important.
Chris Cenac Jr He is the rebounder everyone told us he was.
He led the Celtics with five offensive boards, which is really nice to see, especially because a lot of those were maximum effort plays.
As long as he's competing and playing hard and protecting the rim, we can fix everything else, summer league head coach Amile Jefferson said.
He was not shy about shooting but he got a couple of early dunks because of his positioning around the basket.
Eventually, he got a couple of threes to fall, including the game-tying shot.
It was a bit of an up-and-down debut, with some rookie mistakes, bad fouls, and rushed plays.
But his strengths were on display.
One play could have been the best play of summer league if he was able to finish it.
Bad intentions, indeed.
Dillon Mitchell He got the start and made a couple of strong defensive plays that were very on brand, but he was also trying a little too hard in some instances.
He had one strong defensive play on an inbound, stealing the ball cleanly but he then forced the shot afterwards instead of understanding the play wasnt there.
The play resulted in a turnover.
But he is the supreme athlete we all thought he was.
Im going to say his game was TBD.
Some expected stuff, but I need to see more over the next few games.
John Tonje He did what he does in this game.
He scored 20 points on 5-9 shooting from 3, but his biggest play of the night was a steal and dunk in overtime to seal the game.
The Golden Rule tells me its great that he hit shots to help the Celtics win.
But that's what he does.
That doesnt tell me much about his night.
But his defense (team-high three steals) is a nice thing to see.
He had a couple of early turnovers during the sloppiest portion of the game, but he did find Gonzalez with a nice cross-court pass for a three.
All in all, I think its the first step in a compelling case to keep him on a two-way deal.
John Karalis is a 20-year veteran of Celtics coverage and was nominated for NSMA's Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year in 2019.
He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016 and has written two books about the Celtics.
John was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI.
He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams.
John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society.
He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Mens Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder.
He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball (Greece).
John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997.
He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor.
He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018.
John is one of Bostons original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006.
In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years.
He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings.
He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.
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