Boston Celtics (0-0) vs Miami Heat (0-0) Las Vegas Summer League Game 1 7/13/24

The Heat are coming off a 2-1 performance in the California Classic Summer League. They lost their first game to the Warriors and then beat Sacramento and the Los Angeles Lakers. Playing 3 games together in the California Classic will give the Heat team an advantage from a chemistry standpoint. Although their team includes 11 rookies while the Celtics a more experienced team.

As always in Summer League, it’s next to impossible to predict who will start as coaches try to mix and match players and to experiment with different starting lineups. In their 3 games in California, the Heat started 3 different starting lineups in the 3 games they played there. Swider, Williams, Johnson, Larsson, and Ware started the 3rd game and all had started in at least one of the other two games. Jaquez would likely have started but he was not with the team in California.

Since the Celtics didn’t participate in either California or Salt Lake City Summer Leagues, this will be their first Summer League Game. They may start off a bit slower than Miami due to the fact that the Heat have already played in 3 games. However, I think the Celtics experience will give them an edge. It’s impossible to say who will start for Boston.

D.J. MacLeay will be coaching the Celtics Summer League team. The Celtics hired MacLeay in 2021 as a player enhancement coach on Ime Udoka’s staff. In July 2022 he was promoted to assistant coach. He stayed with the Celtics as an assistant after Udoka left. Dan Bisaccio is coaching the Heat Summer League team. He has been with the Heat for 10 seasons and is the Heat Player Development Coach.

Boston Celtics Roster
Tyler Cook (4 seasons in GLeague. Played in Spain last season)
JD Davison (averaged 21 points and 5 assists in Maine last season. Made All GLeague 3rd team)
Tristan Enaruna (playing on an Exhibit 10 contract. Averaged 19.6 points and 6.5 rebounds last season)
Ron Harper, Jr (son of 5x champ Ron Harper, Sr Averaged 13.8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists in GLeague)
Jaelen House (son of Celtics champ Eddie House.averaged 15.9 pts, 3.5 reb, and 3.5 ast in college last yr)
Drew Peterson (averaged 15.5 points, 5.6 rebounds for Maine last season as a 2-way player) Neemias Queta (played in 28 games for the Celtics. Named to All NBA GLeague 1st team)
Jahmi’us Ramsey (Shot 40.9% from 3 last season. Named to All NBA GLeague 3rd team)
Baylor Scheierman (Celtics 30th pick. 3rd team All American, 1st team All Big East, Shot 39% from 3)
Jaden Springer (PHI 28th pick in 2021. GLeague finals MVP 2023. Traded to BOS at deadline) Killian Tillie (6’9” French forward. Last played in 2022 for Memphis)
Jordan Walsh (16 points, 4.2 rebounds last year SL. 14.7 points, 7.5 ast in Maine. Good defender)
Anton Watson (54th pick in the draft. defensive specialist. shot 41.2% on 1.5 3’s per game last yr)

Head Coach
D.J. MacLeay

Players to Watch

Baylor Scheierman
Scheierman was the Celtics first round pick at #30. He is a sharpshooter with deep range who shot 39% from beyond the arc in college. He has good passing skills, honed by playing quarterback in high school. He is 6’6” tall with a 6’8” wingspan and has the tools to be a good defender. His shooting, rebounding, and defense should make him a key player on this Summer League team.

Jordan Walsh
Walsh was a 2nd round pick in last year’s draft and is playing in his second Summer League. The defensive minded Walsh showed his potential in the G League last season, averaging 14.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc. He is looking to earn a spot on parent Celtics this season.

Anton Watson
Watson was the 54th pick in the draft and will likely spend most of his time with the Maine Celtics. At 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, Watson has great size, length and strength. He is a defensive specialist who shot 41.2% on 1.5 threes a game in college. Brad Stevens has told him to “let it fly” and wants to see him shoot more in Summer League. He has all the tools to play in the NBA and it will be up to him to use those tools to get the team’s attention.

Miami Heat Roster
Cole Swider (2 way player for the Heat last year)
Alondes Williams (2 way player for the Heat last year)
Zyon Pullin (undrafted player signed to a 2 way contract for this year)
Keyshad Johnson (undrafted player signed to a 2 way contract this year)
Gabe Brown (played in the Italian league last year)
JC Butler (son of Heat offensive coach Caron Butler. played on Heat GLeague team last year) Josh Christopher (played on Heat GLeague team last year)
Caleb Daniels (played on Heat GLeague team last year averaging 12.3 points, 5 rebounds and 2.2 assists)
Neal Sako (6’11” Center from France, averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds in France last year) Isaiah Stevens ( Averaged 16 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.2 steals in 5 seasons at Colorado St)
|Bryson Warren (Averaged 6.9 points on Heat GLeague team last year)
Warren Washington (7’ undrafted. Averaged 9.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks at Texas Tech)
Jaime Jaquez, Jr (played 75 games for MIA last year averaging 11.9 points, was on USA Select team)
Kel’El Ware (15th pick in 2024 draft. 7 footer had 26 points, 11 rebounds in last Calif Classic SL game)
Pelle Larson (2nd round pick in 2024 draft)

Head Coach
Dan Bisaccio

Players to Watch

Jaime Jaquez, Jr
Jaquez played in 75 games for the Heat last year and started in the Playoffs when Jimmy Butler was out. He averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists for the Heat last season. He was picked to play on the USA Select team and so didn’t play with the Heat in California.

Kel’El Ware
Ware was the Heat’s 15th pick in this year’s draft. He is a 7 footer who can play. In the his final game in the California Summer League, he finished with 26 points, and 11 rebounds. He will give the Heat a size advantage against the Celtics. He also has the advantage of already playing with this Heat team in California.

Keys to the Game
Summer League games are all about development, evaluation and experimentation. Coaches are evaluating the undrafted players and players who have a chance to make the team or to grab a 2 way spot. They are experimenting with lineups to give all players a chance to play and to see which players play well together. They are also watching for development from players who are returning from last year.

X-Factors
Chemistry and Experience
The Heat team has played in 3 games already and so will likely have better chemistry on the court than the Celtics who are playing in their first game. However, the Celtics more experienced players may end up giving them an advantage.

Defense
As with any game, defense can make the difference between winning and losing. The Celtics have some players who come into the game with a defensive mindset. Defense wins games and so if the Celtics can play better defense than the Heat, they have a good chance to win this game.