Four insights from the Celtics Summer League

Four takeaways from the Celtics Summer League originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics parked their summer roster in the desert this year, knowing the team was already bringing back its nine best players from a championship season. Even with the highest draft pick of the Brad Stevens era on the roster, this year’s Vegas soirée felt more like a chance for backup players — and those players simply hoping to stay in the Celtics ecosystem — to showcase their potential.

This is a luxury for a team still reveling in the aftermath of Banner 18 and that has already acted quickly to regain the core of the team.

The Summer C’s ended their brief stay in Vegas on Friday with a 101-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the jayvee version of an NBA Finals rematch. The Celtics (2-2) will not be among the four teams battling for the Vegas Summer title starting Sunday.

The Celtics still checked off many items on their summer to-do list, and it was particularly encouraging that two of the players looking to increase their regular-season workload were among the biggest bright spots from the team’s game in Vegas.

Springer, Queta on another level

Jaden Springer didn’t get much of a chance to show his potential in Boston after being signed at the February trade deadline, but he only needed one game in Vegas to show he’s head and shoulders above most of the younger players in the West.

Springer, who is entering his fourth NBA season, has shown progress on offense in addition to his trademark defensive tenacity. The road to consistent playing time is bumpy when you have Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard ahead of you on the guard depth chart, but Springer should have a better chance to play this year without stepping in mid-court.

Neemias Queta played two games in Vegas, averaging 21 points and 8.5 rebounds before going into spectator mode. He is perhaps the player from Boston’s summer squad most likely to play a significant role this year. Queta could be a key addition with Kristaps Porzingis out for the start of the season.

Queta made the jump from two-way big man to roster player largely because of his solid performance early last season when Porzingis was out. Both Luke Kornet and Queta should see plenty of time this year to limit the load on both Porzingis (whenever he returns) and veteran Al Horford during the regular season.

Walsh has problems with his shot

Hitting in the summer isn’t a prerequisite for regular-season success—just ask Sam Hauser—but rising sophomore Jordan Walsh would probably prefer if you burned his hit tapes in Vegas.

Walsh didn’t make a single three-pointer in Vegas, capped by an 0-of-10 performance (with a couple of airballs) from beyond the arc in Friday’s loss. Overall, he was 0-of-22 from beyond the arc.

Walsh has done a lot of good things, especially defensively, but you can’t be a 3-and-D player without having the first half of that description. He had a couple of nice hustle sequences against the Mavs, including perhaps his best basket of the day after a difficult tip-in in traffic.

With Oshae Brissett being one of the few players no longer on last season’s roster, there appears to be an open spot for a wing player to earn some minutes this year. Walsh has the talent needed to get on the field on defense, but his offensive game needs to catch up, especially if he wants to earn the trust of this coaching staff.

Walsh is still the youngest player on the roster and we’d be surprised if he doesn’t perform better the next time the Celtics play, but he just couldn’t hit a triple in Vegas.

Scheierman shows that he can do more than just shoot

While the scouting report for first-round pick Baylor Scheierman focuses on his 3-point shooting skills, the rookie showed in his first games in the Celtics’ green jersey that he can do much more.

We like Scheierman’s playmaking and the way he creates opportunities off the dribble. He has excellent vision and hasn’t seemed to pick up as much speed as many rookies do in their first NBA game. He still has progress to make on defense, but he plays with grit and effort. Scheierman dove into the crowd to save a loose ball in Boston’s game against the Lakers this week, then threw himself on the floor to grab a 50/50 possession against the Mavericks. That’s the kind of play you quickly grow to like around these parts.

Fellow rookie Anton Watson, the 54th pick in last month’s draft, also had an outstanding summer. Like Scheierman, Watson’s college experience seemed to prepare him well to take on an event like Summer League.

House money!

Maybe we should have expected it given his pedigree, but Jaelen House is a joy to watch. He plays fast and confident. He is competitive on defense. House finished Friday with 18 points and 9 assists.

We are curious to see if some of the players from Boston’s summer squad will stay as training camp invitees and then perhaps be sent to Maine for a chance to develop further in the Celtics’ system.