A deep dive into the 2024 Summer Celtics

After a series of practices at the Auerbach Center this week, the Celtics will travel to scorching Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday for the NBA 2K25 Summer League, where temperatures soar above 110 degrees.

Boston’s schedule is as follows:

Saturday, July 13: vs. Heat at 6:30 p.m. ET, broadcasted on NBATV

Monday, July 15: vs. Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET, broadcasted on NBATV

Wednesday, July 17: vs. Hornets at 5:30 p.m. ET, broadcasted on NBATV

Friday, July 19: vs. Mavericks at 4:30 p.m. ET, broadcasted on ESPNU

A fifth game is to be announced. Following the first four games, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs, kicking off with a semifinal doubleheader on Sunday, July 21. The winners of these semifinals will vie for the championship on Monday, July 22.

Like the big league club—who have 15 of the 17 players from last season’s championship squad returning—the Summer Celtics enjoy impressive continuity. JD Davison, Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, Jaden Springer, and Drew Peterson are all set to suit up for Boston fresh off a championship run.

Here is a breakdown of the entire 13-man roster, which will be coached by D.J. MacLeay.

Head coach: D.J. MacLeay

MacLeay, a four-year player at Bucknell, began his NBA journey as a video coaching assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers in May 2017. He advanced to video coordinator and joined Ime Udoka’s staff in 2021 as a Player Enhancement Coach, before being promoted to assistant coach in 2022.

The 29-year-old worked closely with Kristaps Porzingis throughout the 2023-24 championship run. In appreciation of his efforts, Porzingis gifted MacLeay a Rolex watch after winning the NBA Finals.

“I’m stoked, like to be the head coach of the summer league team of the Boston Celtics, like, what an honor, what a joy, I’m so grateful,” the Texas native said on the opportunity to coach the Summer Celtics.

Tyler Cook: Forward

Cook, a 6-foot-8, 255-pound forward, spent three seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes, becoming one of only nine players in program history to amass over 1,300 points and 600 rebounds before going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The St. Louis native has had multiple NBA stints, appearing with the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, and Oklahoma City Thunder, primarily in the G-League.

Most recently, the 26-year-old played professionally in Australia and with Club Joventut Badalona in Spain.

Notably, Cook was high school teammates with Jayson Tatum at Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur, Missouri, helping lead the school to a state title in 2016.

“He’s physical. He handles the ball very well for a big,” C’s assistant general manager Austin Ainge said. “Just trying to see – with all these guys, how can you help the Celtics? How can you help a team win?”

JD Davison: Guard

Davison, a 6-foot-3 foot, 195-pound guard, is back for his third summer with the Celtics. Drafted with the 53rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Davison will return to Boston on a two-way contract for the third consecutive season.

Three consecutive two-way contracts are rare, which speaks to the front office’s belief in the 21-year-old’s progression.

“JD came out very young in the draft,” Ainge said. “The last two years in Maine, he’s really, really improved. We’ve loved his trajectory and think he still has room to grow. He’s younger than the guys we just drafted and a lot of other guys who were drafted. We think he still has some growth. We’re very optimistic.”

Since arriving in Boston, the Alabama product has appeared in 20 regular-season games, averaging 2.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He has spent the majority of his time in Maine, where, last season, he averaged 21.5 points and 8.5 assists per game, leading Maine to the G League finals for the first time in franchise history, where they lost to the OKC Blue.

Tristan Enaruna: Forward

Enarnua signed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Celtics after going undrafted in this year’s draft. The 6-foot-8, 217-pound forward recently completed his fifth year of college basketball. He began his collegiate career with two seasons at Kansas, transferred to Iowa State for a year, and finished with two seasons at Cleveland State.

Born in the Netherlands, Enaruna started 35 games for Cleveland State last season, averaging 19.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 49.8% from the field and 32.2% from beyond the arc. He finished his senior season ranked in the top 15 among league players in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots, and field goal percentage.

During his two years in Cleveland, Enaruna started all 70 games, shot 50.6% from the field and 70.8% from the free-throw line, and averaged 6.5 rebounds per game, earning All-Horizon League honors both years.

The 23-year-old is looking to become just the seventh player in Cleveland State program history to earn an NBA roster spot.

Ron Harper Jr.: Forward

Ron Harper Jr., the son of five-time NBA champion and 15-year veteran Ron Harper, is a 6-foot-6, 238-pound forward who signed a two-way deal with the Raptors after going undrafted in the 2022 draft. He went on to sign another two-way contract with the Raptors last July but was waived in December after suffering an injury. In 20 total G-League appearances, Harper Jr. averaged 13.8 points on 46.9% shooting, 26.5% from deep, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks.

A former Rutgers star, Harper Jr. spent four seasons with the Scarlet Knights, helping lead them to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in his final two seasons. In his senior year, he averaged 15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game.

“Ron is a good player. He’s a guy we have been interested in for a while,” Ainge said. “He is coming off an injury, and that’s kind of, I think, one reason why he is not on a roster right now, and we have an opportunity to get a better look at him. He’s looked good at practice. I think he’ll get opportunities and looks with us and with our teams.”

Jaelen House: Guard

Jaelen House is the son of 11-year NBA veteran Eddie House, who played two-and-a-half seasons with the Boston Celtics, contributing to the franchise’s 17th championship in 2008. Eddie now serves as an analyst for NBC Sports Boston.

Jaelen, a fifth-year senior, began his college career at his father’s alma mater, Arizona State University, in 2019. However, after limited playing time with the Sun Devils, he transferred to the University of New Mexico, where he made a significant impact.

The 23-year-old made history at UNM as the first Lobo and just the third player in Mountain West history to achieve consecutive seasons with at least 500 points and 125 assists (2021-22, 2022-23). He also set the single-season record at UNM with 86 steals in 2022-23, ranking second nationally with 2.6 steals per game. He became the first player in Mountain West history to lead the conference in steals for three consecutive seasons.

During his three seasons at New Mexico, House averaged 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.4 steals per game, earning three All-Mountain West Team honors.

Drew Peterson: Forward

Peterson, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward, is entering his second season with the Celtics.

The Illinois native went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, but shortly after, he received an exhibit-10 deal from the Miami Heat, where he spent training camp before signing with the G-League Skyforce after being waived. In December, the Celtics signed the 24-year-old to a two-way deal.

Aside from just 23 minutes over the course of three games with the big club (in which he shot 4-of-6 (66.7%) from the field and 3-of-5 (60.0%) from deep), Peterson spent most of last season in Maine, where he averaged 16.1 points on 45.9% shooting from the field and 36.7% from deep with 7.4 boards, 5.6 assists, and 1.1 steals.

He spent the entire postseason with the Celtics, granted sometimes in the crowd, alongside JD Davison.

Prior to his professional career, the 24-year-old played five years of college basketball, spanning stints at USC and Rice. Peterson played a total of 164 games in college, amassing 1,721 points. Over his three seasons at USC, he averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Neemias Queta: Center

Queta, who celebrates his 25th birthday this Saturday, initially signed a two-way contract with the Celtics last September after being released by the Sacramento Kings in favor of JaVale McGee. His contract was later converted to a standard deal in April. Earlier this offseason, the Celtics inked the 7-foot-center to a three-year $7.1 million deal.

The former Utah State standout had a career-high 28 regular-season appearances for Boston last season, achieving personal bests with 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in just 11.9 minutes of play. Queta led the team alongside Luke Kornet with an average of 1.9 offensive rebounds per game.

“We are excited that Neemy chose to come back and sign with the Celtics,” said Brad Stevens after the signing. “He’s a mobile big with great size and a high motor. We were all enthusiastic about his impact this past season, but we think his best days are ahead.”

Queta, the only Portuguese player in NBA history, split his time between Boston and G-League Maine. He played a significant role in Maine with his 14.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game.

With Porzingis sidelined for the beginning of the season as he recovers from ankle surgery, Queta, who has made the most of his professional minutes in Boston, will almost certainly see some increased run.

Jahmi’us Ramsey: Guard

Ramsey, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard, joined Texas Tech in the fall of 2019 as the highest-rated recruit in the program’s history. The Texas native spent just one season with the Red Raiders, leading the team in scoring with 15.0 points per game, which ranked fifth in the Big 12. He became the first player in program history to earn the Big 12 Freshman of the Year honor and was also selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team, All-Big 12 Freshman Team, and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team, before declaring for the 2020 draft.

Now 23 years old, Ramsey was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2020 Draft with the 43rd overall pick. He played in 32 games over two seasons with the Kings, averaging 3.1 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists. Most of his time was spent in the G-League before being waived at the end of 2022.

Following his release, Ramsey signed a G-League entry contract and joined the Birmingham Squadron before being traded to the Oklahoma City Blue. Last season, he appeared in 30 games with the Blue, averaging 20.6 points on 53.1% shooting from the floor, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. His performance led to two 10-day contracts with the Toronto Raptors.

During his stint with the Raptors, Ramsey played in seven games, including one start, averaging 6.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 steals in 17.3 minutes per game.

Baylor Scheierman: Guard

Fans will get their first look at Scheierman, the first-ever first-round selection made by Brad Stevens as President of Basketball Operations, in the Summer League.

Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 203 pounds, Scheierman spent three seasons at South Dakota State before concluding his collegiate career at Creighton. He is the only men’s player in Division I history to accumulate at least 2,000 points (2,233), 1,000 rebounds (1,256), 500 assists (580), and 300 three-pointers (356).

Last season, the Third-Team All-American started all 35 games for the Bluejays, leading the team with a career-high 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, earning unanimous First-Team All-Big East honors. The Nebraska native played a pivotal role in Creighton’s 25-10 record and their trip to the Sweet 16.

Throughout his collegiate career, Scheierman knocked down 39.0% of his three-point attempts, including 43.8% on 5.7 attempts per game in his sophomore season and 46.9% on 5.1 attempts in his junior season. In his final season at Creighton, he shot 38.1% from distance on 8.3 attempts per game.

“We all thought really highly of Baylor, and we’re excited that he dropped to 30,” Stevens said after the draft.

Over the last 25 seasons, no player has more defensive rebounds than Scheierman (1,140).

Jaden Springer: Guard

Springer is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound guard entering his second season with the Celtics. Springer, who turns 22 in September, was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a second-round draft pick at least year’s trade deadline.

The North Carolina native played sparingly for Boston, appearing in 17 games with one start. He averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game. Known for his defense, Joe Mazzulla sometimes called upon him in unique situations , such as subbing in at the end of quarters to prevent last-second shot attempts.

A product of the University of Tennessee, Springer spent just one season with the Volunteers, earning 2021 SEC All-Freshman Team honors before being selected by the 76ers with the 28th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The young guard played in just 18 games over his first two seasons in Philadelphia but was instrumental in leading the Sixers’ G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, to the 2023 G-League championship. He earned G-League Finals MVP honors behind a massive Game 1 performance, scoring 43 points and blocking four shots. Over those Finals, he went 8 for 13 from three-point range.

Before the trade, Springer appeared in 32 games last season for the 76ers, playing a reserve role, averaging 4.0 points, 1.1 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game.

“He is an athlete,” Stevens said after the trade. “But, he also has a lot of growing to get better, and he’s committed to that, and he’s got a long runway ahead of him. So we’ll see how this year shakes itself out for him. See how it all fits with the team, but he’s a guy that we believe in.”

Killian Tillie: Center

Tillie, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound center, played his college ball at Gonzaga, earning All-West Coast Conference honors twice in his four seasons with the Bulldogs before signing a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies after going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The 26-year-old Frenchman appeared in 54 games for Memphis between 2020 and 2022, averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. However, injuries significantly limited his ability to be on the floor, and after undergoing back surgery in 2022, he was released and has remained unsigned since.

Tillie, who knocked down 44.4% of his three-point shots while averaging 9.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 108 career games at Gonzaga, will now reunite with another former Zag in Anton Watson as he looks to restart his NBA career.

Anton Watson: Forward

The Celtics selected Watson as the 54th pick of this year’s draft, and he is widely expected to receive the final two-way spot on Boston’s roster.

The 6-foot-8 forward started all 35 games for the Bulldogs last season, averaging 14.5 points (second most on the team), 7.1 rebounds (second most on the team), 2.6 assists (third most on the team), and 1.5 steals (team-high). His play helped guide Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 and earned him 2024 All-Conference First Team honors.

Standing at 6-foot-8 and weighing 225 pounds, Watson is a versatile defender capable of guarding 1 through 5. The Spokane native finished his collegiate career with the second-most steals (215) in Gonzaga program history, trailing only John Stockton. He posted the fourth-most steals in a single season in school history with 66 steals in 2022-23, which is incredible, considering his size and position.

Watson, a fifth-year senior who will turn 24 before the season starts, will have a clear focus in Summer League, with the orders coming from the top, right from Brad Stevens:

“I want him to come in here with the mindset that he’s gonna let it fly like he’s never let it fly before because I think he’s a better shooter than he sometimes thinks he is,” Stevens said.

While it’s based on limited sample size, Watson’s three-point shooting could use some improvement. He connected on just 30.7% of his attempts from long range while averaging 1.0 attempts per game over his five seasons at Gonzaga. Last season, he showed progress with a career-best 41.2% on a career-high 1.5 attempts per game – expect those attempts to be higher in Summer League.

Jordan Walsh: Forward

Rounding out the Summer Celtics is 20-year-old forward Jordan Walsh, who is entering his second season with the Celtics after being 38th overall by Boston in last year’s draft.

Walsh, who spent most of last season playing for the Maine Celtics, brings size and defensive versatility with his 6-foot-7 frame and a  7-foot-2 wingspan. Hailing from Texas, he appeared in nine games for Boston, averaging 1.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. In Maine, Walsh showed promise, averaging 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.

Notably, he improved his three-point shooting to 36.1%, a significant jump from his 27.8% in his lone season at Arkansas. The Celtics are hopeful Walsh can continue developing into a reliable three-and-D wing player at the NBA level, and he took some steps towards that in his development last season.