The Celtics take on the New York Knicks in the second Summer League game for both teams. Unlike the Celtics first opponent, the Grizzlies, neither team played in California or Salt Lake City. The Celtics beat the Memphis Grizzlies 92-78 in their first game on Friday, while the Knicks lost to the Detroit Pistons 104-86 in their first game, also on Friday.
The Celtics roster includes 15 players including undrafted players, the Celtics 3 draft picks, 2 way players and 2 players from the Celtics roster last season. Jordan Walsh returns as a 3rd year player. Baylor Scheierman is entering his second season and showed some flashes last season. Miles Norris returns after half a season as a 2 way player with the Celtics.
The Celtics 3 draft picks are also expected to play for the Celtics in Summer League. Hugo Gonzalez, the Celtics lone first round pick, is expected to be on the Celtics roster this season and should be exciting to watch in Summer League. The Celtics 2nd round picks, Amari Williams and Max Shulga, are both expected to sign 2-way contracts with the Celtics this season.
Charles Bassey, who wasn’t even originally on the Celtics roster, was perhaps the Celtics biggest surprise in their first game. Bassey was the 53rd pick by Philadelphia in 2021 and was waived after one year. He was signed by San Antonio as a 2 way player but was later converted to a regular contract. He injured his knee in March of 2023 and missed the rest of that season. He then tore his ACL in December of 2024. He played in 36 games for the Spurs last season. The Celtics are thin in the frontcourt and so Bassey could have a chance to earn a contract with the team.
The Knicks Summer League team features Marjon Beauchamp, who has 3 years of NBA experience. They will also feature Pacome Dadiet, who was the 25th pick in the 2024 draft. Ariel Hukporti, who was the 58th pick in 2024, is a 7’ center who has a chance to earn a role as back up center for the Knicks. Anton Watson, who was the 54th pick in the 2024 draft by the Celtics. He signed a 2 way contract with the Celtics but was cut for the Celtics to sign Miles Norris to a 2 way contract. He signed with the Knicks and is playing for their Summer League Team.
Matt Reynolds will be the Celtics head coach for the Celtics Summer League team. Reynolds started as the Video Coordinator for the Celtics in 2015. He has been an assistant coach for the club since 2022. The Knicks Summer League head coach is their Director of Player Personnel, Jordan Brink. Brink left a long time job with Detroit to join the Knicks. He is the coach who decides which calls to challenge and he holds the highest percentage rate of overturned calls in the league.
Celtics RosterJordan Walsh (38th pick 2023)Baylor Scheierman (30th pick 2024)Hugo Gonzalez (28th pick 2025)Max Shulga (57th pick 2025)Amari Williams (46th pick 2025)Aaron Scott (undrafted rookie)Ben Gregg (undrafted rookie)Zach Hicks (undrafted rookie)Hayden Gray (undrafted rookie)Miles Norris (undrafted 2023- 2 way player with Boston)Kenneth Loftin, Jr (undrafted, 3rd year, MVP in China last season)Jalen Bridges (2-way player with Phoenix, played 8 games with Suns)Kendall Brown (48th pick in 2022)Isaiah Wong (55th pick in 2023, played 20 games with Charlotte)Charles Bassey (53rd pick in 2021, Played for Philadelphia and San Antonio)
Head CoachMatt Reynolds
New York Knicks RosterPacome DadietKevin McCullarTyler KolekMarjon BeauchampYudai BabaAnton Watson Jamal BeyBiwali BaylesDink Pate Jaden CampbellDevone GrantNick DordainLuka Scuka Lance WareJames NnajiMohamed DiawaraAriel Hukporti
Head Coach Jordan Brink
Possible StartersThe Celtics started Max Shulga, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh and Amari Williams in Friday’s game against the Grizzlies. I am going to guess that they will start the same 5 in this game. Of course, in Summer League, they may start any random 5 players and not necessarily start the same 5. The Knicks started Kolek, McCullar, Jr, Beauchamp, Dadiet, and Hukporti and I’m guessing that they start the same 5 in this game.
Keys to the GameIt’s Summer League – Both coaches are going to be looking at players to see if any of them play well enough to make the main roster. They are also looking at players for their G-League teams. Some players may get a lot of playing time and some will play very little. Players who started last game may sit this game or they may start again and the players who are showing the most should get more playing time.
Defense and Rebounding – Whether it is Summer League, Preseason, Regular Season or Playoffs, defense and rebounding are always keys to getting a win. The Celtics pulled down 45 rebounds in their first game while the Knicks pulled down 38 rebounds in their first game. The team that plays harder on the defensive end and that crashes the boards for rebounds, will likely get the win.
Key Matchup
Grid View
Charles Bassey
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
Ariel Hukporti
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Charles Bassey vs Ariel HukportiThese 2 centers come into Summer League looking to earn a spot on their team’s main roster for the upcoming season. Both teams have a need at center and both Bassey and Hukporti impressed in their debut on Friday, particularly on the defensive end. Bassey finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks while Hukporti finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.
Players to WatchBoston CelticsJordan Walsh – Walsh played very well on Friday, finishing with a game high 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.
Hugo Gonzalez – Gonzalez impressed in his debut on Friday, finishing with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. He played hard, especially on defense. He definitely looks like he will be able to help the team this season.
Baylor Scheierman – Scheierman struggled offensively in his first outing on Friday, finishing with 8 points on 2-14 shooting from the field and 1-8 from beyond the arc. He did show some good things though with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He needs to play better in this game.
New York Knicks Pacome Dadiet – Dadiet finished Friday’s game with 17 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist while shooting 61.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. The Knicks are expecting him to play well in his second Summer League.
Marjon Beauchamp – Beauchamp is beginning his 4th season and the Celtics need to see improvement in his game in Summer League. He finished Friday’s game with 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block while shooting 40% from the field and going 0-4 on three pointers.
Final Thoughts As with the Celtics/Grizzlies game, the league isn’t all that big these teams as they are relegated to a 5:30 time slot and are on NBA-TV rather than ESPN. However, once again, for Celtics fans, there are reasons to watch. Gonzalez is fun to watch and plays very hard and he could find a role for the Celtics this season. Walsh and Scheierman are returning players with a chance to be rotation players this season. Williams and Shulga both showed some promise on Friday and will play in Maine this season for the Celtics.
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