Four takeaways from Celtics’ Summer League win over Knicks

The Celtics blew out the New York Knicks - on Sunday to improve to - at the NBA s Las Vegas Summer League Here are four takeaways from the win which featured strong showings from a current Boston draftee and an emerging big man Hugo Gonzalez sits It s been a hectic couple of weeks for the Celtics first-round pick Gonzalez was drafted hours after finishing his Spanish league season with Real Madrid then went straight into Summer League practice with his new NBA club The -year-old evidenced off his renowned motor in Boston s Vegas opener against Memphis points five assists four rebounds two blocks one steal in minutes but he was understandably gassed by the end of the match according to Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens The Celtics gave Gonzalez a breather on Sunday sitting him for the matchup with New York He watched from the bench in street clothes We ll do particular of that with him Stevens recounted reporters on Saturday Because generally with a -year-old you just throw him to the wolves and let it fly but coming from Madrid and just finishing his season is quite a lot to ask Expect to see Boston s youngest participant back in action Monday night against Miami but the Celtics will continue to manage Gonzalez s workload to avoid overburdening him Miles Norris who signed a two-way contract with the Celtics late last season also sat out against the Knicks Boston started Baylor Scheierman Jordan Walsh second-round draft picks Max Shulga and Amari Williams and Jalen Bridges who appeared in eight games for Phoenix as an undrafted rookie last season Bridges had points five rebounds two steals and two blocks in minutes Baylor Scheierman bounces back The Celtics first Summer League outing was one to forget for Scheierman who went an ugly -for- from the field and -for- from three Boston s first-round pick didn t shoot the ball especially well Sunday night either -for- -for- but he delivered an impressive all-around performance finishing with points eight rebounds eight assists three steals and two turnovers in minutes Scheierman s passing was on point especially on his two long-range lobs to Walsh and the no-look feed to Bridges that led to a corner three and he added to his growing reel of circus shots by sinking a high-arcing off-the-glass hook shot with his weak right hand as Boston put the contest away in the fourth quarter He was a team-best plus- After struggling last summer Scheierman improved significantly over the program of his rookie year and is one of several Celtics reserves eyeing larger roles in head coach Joe Mazzulla s revamped rotation He played really well at the end of last regular season Stevens reported in an interview on ESPN s contest broadcast The biggest challenge then as you now stack another Summer League on top of this is don t try to do too much Don t try to be somebody that you re not and just do what you would do within the confines of our squad when we all get back together in September Related Articles Celtics notebook Thoughts on Boston s talent drain Damian Lillard rumors Boston Celtics announce four-game preseason schedule Brad Stevens opens up about Al Horford s feasible return Celtics plans Celtics sign first-round draft pick Hugo Gonz lez to contract Resetting Celtics roster after busy week of trades draft picks Charles Bassey impresses again It s early and the quality of competition has not been high but Bassey looks like someone who could compete for a role in Boston s talent-starved frontcourt Two days after notching points and rebounds in minutes against the Grizzlies the -year-old turned in another double-double against the Knicks racking up points and boards in minutes of floor time He grabbed four offensive rebounds blocked three shots grabbed two steals shot -for- from the field and made all six of his free throws Bassey is more experienced than your typical Summer Leaguer having made NBA appearances over his four seasons with Philadelphia and San Antonio and it s never smart to put too much stock in stats from this tournament That stated the -foot- center who arrived days before Summer League tipped off has looked like a legitimate NBA member in his first two games as a Celtic And with Neemias Queta Xavier Tillman Luka Garza and second-round rookie Amari Williams two points three rebounds two assists on Sunday as the only options on Boston s current frontcourt depth chart Bassey is making a strong event for a training camp invite at the very least Foul trouble for Jordan Walsh Whistle Whistle Whistle Whistle Whistle That s how one first-half shift sounded for the longest-tenured Celtic on this summer squad During one stretch between the first and second quarters Walsh was called for five fouls including three in seconds He committed two more after halftime to finish with seven in minutes Fortunately for the third-year pro players are allowed fouls in Summer League games rather than the usual six so Walsh s slew of violations didn t limit his playing time And he drew nearly as multiple resulting in nearly twice as various trips to the foul line as any of his Celtics teammates Eight of Walsh s points came on free throws The rest of his stat line was not especially impressive -for- -for- from three four rebounds two assists one steal two turnovers This is a crucial offseason for Walsh who was unable to earn regular playing time in either of his first two NBA campaigns