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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: Semi Ojeleye #37 of the Boston Celtics stands on the court during a 2017 Summer League game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dallas won 91-74. 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. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 15: Semi Ojeleye #37 of the Boston Celtics stands on the court during a 2017 Summer League game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dallas won 91-74. 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. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

4. Semi Ojeleye makes the rich richer

The modern NBA is defined by score-first point guards, three-dimensional centers, and a preponderance of wings. The defending champion Golden State Warriors are the epitome of this transformation, but the Boston Celtics are not far behind after another strong offseason.

Isaiah Thomas is one of the league’s best scoring guards, Al Horford is a center who can play inside and out, and Boston added Gordon Hayward, Marcus Morris and Jayson Tatum to a wing rotation already boasting Jae Crowder and Jaylen Brown.

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Washington Wizards' Johnny Davis is not ready for a rotational role
Washington Wizards' Johnny Davis is not ready for a rotational role /

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    • Add in Semi Ojeleye, one of Boston’s second round picks from this past draft. As a combo forward who came to Boston by way of Duke and SMU, Ojeleye’s fall to the 39th pick looked unthinkable on draft night, let alone four weeks later after he showed his stuff in Summer League.

    Ojeleye can stroke the basketball, both on catch-and-shoots and off the dribble. He has the size and strength to guard both forward positions, and would fit seamlessly into a switch-heavy scheme with the rest of the wing rotation. Getting 48 continual minutes of high-level wing play will not only help the Celtics win regular season games, but it will keep the stars fresh leading into the postseason.

    While Ojeleye didn’t light the Summer League on fire, he did demonstrate that he is clearly an NBA player. He took on the opposing team’s best player every game and was a solid third or fourth option on the floor at any given time behind Tatum, Brown and Abdel Nader.

    Ojeleye would be miscast as the primary option in a lineup. In the Celtics’ final game, a loss to Dallas, Ojeleye was the only rostered player to suit up and he finished a game-low -24. But Ojeleye can step into a similar role himself, and has shown he has the chops to do that.

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