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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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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 15: Jabari Bird #26 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks during the Quarterfinals of the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 15, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 15: Jabari Bird #26 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks during the Quarterfinals of the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 15, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

5. Jabari Bird might just be an NBA player

Loaded with young talent, the Boston Celtics have more draft selections than they know what to do with. While is was expected they would flip one of 2017’s three second round picks, instead they used all three picks on players.

One of those second round picks was Jabari Bird, a 6’6″ guard out of Cal. Only four players went later in the draft than Bird, and just one of those players was a domestic prospect. With the loaded roster and wealth of riches Boston has, it seems unlikely Bird has a role on the team this season.

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Abdel Nader was a second round pick of the Celtics in 2016, and played the 2017 season in the D-League before securing a guaranteed contract to join Boston’s active roster. That is the path for a player such as Bird, who must capitalize on two Las Vegas developments.

The first is Bird’s tenacity on defense, where he gets into opposing players and forces them off their block. The opposite coin is unexpectedly solid shooting from Bird, who hit 61.1 percent of his shots in Las Vegas Summer League.

Bird is banking on a two-way contract for the next season, and if that is his short-term destination then he will have an entire season, not just a week, to decide his future in the league.

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