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Boston Celtics: 5 takeaways from 2017 NBA Summer League

By Josh Cornelissen

WALTHAM, MA - JUNE 30: Jayson Tatum, left, and Jaylen Brown chat during a drill during the Boston Celtics' summer league at the Celtics practice facility in Waltham, MA on Jun. 30, 2017. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
WALTHAM, MA - JUNE 30: Jayson Tatum, left, and Jaylen Brown chat during a drill during the Boston Celtics' summer league at the Celtics practice facility in Waltham, MA on Jun. 30, 2017. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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WALTHAM, MA – JUNE 30: Jayson Tatum, left, and Jaylen Brown chat during a drill during the Boston Celtics’ summer league at the Celtics practice facility in Waltham, MA on Jun. 30, 2017. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
WALTHAM, MA – JUNE 30: Jayson Tatum, left, and Jaylen Brown chat during a drill during the Boston Celtics’ summer league at the Celtics practice facility in Waltham, MA on Jun. 30, 2017. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

The Boston Celtics strolled into Las Vegas Summer League headlined by recent top picks. What takeaways does the team have after a week in the desert?

The Boston Celtics do not fit in with standard NBA archetypes. The league is generally made up of an upper crust, a loaded middle class, and a bottom layer of rebuilding teams. Contenders mortgage the future to win in the present, meaning their amount of elite young talent is stretched thin.

The Cleveland Cavaliers can point to a newly signed second round pick and second-year player Kay Felder as their young talent. The San Antonio Spurs have a collection of undrafted players to pair with their late-round finds. The Golden State Warriors continue to find diamonds in the rough, but do so at pick No. 30 and later.

For a team to be in contention and still be loaded with high-end young talent is both unusual and the reality for the Boston Celtics. Last season they won 53 games, most in the Eastern Conference, and battled past an injury to their star player to go five games deep in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Yet they continue to add talented players at the top of the draft. Last year’s third overall pick, Jaylen Brown, showed up at Summer League for the Celtics. This year’s third overall pick did as well, Jayson Tatum. Boston still had enough draft picks to fill another five spots on the roster. While most contenders send a few players to Summer League and surround them with free agents, the Celtics gave run to an actual part of their team.

How did those recent draft picks perform for the Celtics? For a team that played in Utah and then advanced to the Las Vegas semifinals, what takeaways are there for the Boston Celtics?

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