LAS VEGAS — With Grant Williams, Ime Udoka and the majority of Boston’s front office in attendance, the Summer League Celtics put together a furious comeback against the Bucks on Monday night as Matt Ryan hit a game-winning 3 with under a second remaining to clinch Boston’s first win of Summer League.
Ryan (23 points) led six different Celtics in double figures in the matchup with his second straight sharpshooting night from beyond the arc. Brodric Thomas and Juhann Begarin also delivered strong fourth quarters during Boston’s rally.
Boston takes on a loaded Golden State squad in an NBA Finals rematch at 9 p.m. ET in their next matchup on Tuesday night.
Here are four takeaways from the Bucks matchup:
Sam Hauser finds his stroke before suffering injury: The one Celtic at Summer League that has a roster spot locked up looked the part after a rough opening game against the Heat. The second-year forward hit his first 3-point shot in the game and was aggressive in finding better spots for himself against a Milwaukee defense throughout his 18 minutes. He finished with 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc before an apparent shoulder injury sidelined him in the opening minute of the third quarter. The Celtics will likely be cautious with the forward for the rest of Summer League but this was a promising bounce back outing for him.
Brodric Thomas and Matt Ryan strengthen cases for roster spot: With JD Davison taking a two-way slot, there won’t be room for both players on next year’s team unless someone gets bumped to the 15-man roster. However, Ryan and Thomas both looked capable of competing with that role. Ryan had his second straight day of strong shooting from beyond the arc, knocking down five 3s while scoring a team-high 23 points off the bench. Thomas also made the most of his limited minutes while battling foul trouble, filling the box score with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a pair of steals and blocks. Thomas’ athleticism and size makes him standout out as a viable wing defender option for depth with this group but it should be a fascinating choice for the front office between leaning towards another knockdown shooter or a more seasoned NBA body in Thomas.
Mfiondu Kabengele is trying to play his way into training camp: The 2018 first-round pick was out of the NBA entirely last season while trying to improve in the G-League. The majority of buzz during Celtics Summer League camp was with fellow big Trevion Williams but Kabengele looks like the player with a legitimate chance of getting a training camp invite. The big man had a double-double by the early part of the third quarter and finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in his 25 minutes while going an efficient 4-of-7 from the field. The Celtics may still look to the trade market or a veteran free agent for another big but if they opt to go young, Kabengele looks like their best internal bet.
Rookie mistakes plague young draft picks but Begarin’s dunk steals the show: JD Davison and Juhann Begarin may have some of the greatest upside on the Celtics Summer League roster but passing issues plagued both players particularly in the first half. The duo combined for nine turnovers but Begarin shook off those struggles with a very strong fourth quarter in Boston’s comeback including a sensational one-handed dunk in traffic in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
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