Yesterday, the Celtics dropped their first game of the Las Vegas Summer League, losing to the Miami Heat, 96-100. Boston is now 2-1.
Following a similar pattern as after game 1, let’s dive into some developing notes, ideas and takeaways from the Celtics’ performances thus far.
Hugo Gonzalez
After missing game two, Gonzalez was back in the starting lineup. To be honest, he had a pretty rough go of it. My initial take is that he’s still adjusting to the pace and tempo of the American game, and that could take a little while before he’s 100% comfortable.
The problem with feeling sped up is that it impacts every facet of your game. For Gonzalez, we saw that impact in his inability to take care of the rock (6 turnovers) and his limited success when shooting the ball — 3-of-12 from the field and 1-of-7 from deep.
Still, his rebounding and overall effort levels were encouraging. I like that he fights on defense, runs the floor and didn’t shrink as his night got tougher. He seems to have a good level of grit to him, which will likely endear him to the Celtics fanbase and to Joe Mazzulla.
Hopefully, Gonzalez can continue adapting on the fly and, in turn, show some flashes of what he can do on the offensive end. I like him as a slasher and rim finisher, but right now, he tends to circle his drive a little, rather than going straight downhill — fixing that, and adding some directness to his offense, could make him a lot tougher to deal with.
Charles Bassey
Sign this man.
Ok, I know that’s an overreaction…BUT…I don’t care.
Bassey has been solid over the first three games of Summer League. If Boston doesn’t give him a closer look, another team will. He’s shown a good touch around the rim, can rebound, and has decent enough lateral quickness and hip flexibility to defend while backpeddling.
I’m not saying that Bassey is suddenly going to solve some of Boston’s frontcourt issues. I’m not even saying that he can become an important member of the rotation. What I am saying is that his performances should earn him an opportunity to show what he can do, likely during training camp and preseason on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Bassey shone against the New York Knicks on Sunday and almost had back-to-back double-doubles with his outing against the Heat, finishing with 10 points and 9 boards. You can tell he’s been in and around the league for a while.
For someone who was an under-the-radar addition to Boston’s roster, he’s had himself a week.
