Five Celtics to Keep an Eye on at Summer League

The Boston Celtics’ Summer League team just touched down in Las Vegas and is raring to hit the court for their first game Saturday afternoon against the Miami Heat.

For C’s fans tuning in at 3 p.m. ET, there will be several new names to learn and a few familiar faces with whom to reacquaint. To get you ready for the action, we’re highlighting five players to keep an eye on over the next couple of weeks among those who have officially made the roster.

Udoka Azubuike holds the distinction of being the only former first-round draft pick on the Summer squad and the Nigeria native should stand out in a big way.

For one, he is a massive dude, standing at 6-foot-10, 280 pounds, and possessing a gargantuan 7-foot-7 wingspan. Such length allows Azubuike to defend at an elite level, as he showed at the University of Kansas where he won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year during his senior season in 2019-20. While in college, he set the NCAA record for career field-goal percentage with a mark of 74.6 percent, edging former Celtic Tacko Fall’s clip of 74.0 percent. They are the only two players in NCAA history to shoot above 68.0 percent in a career.

Azubuike was drafted 27^th overall in 2020 by the Utah Jazz, for whom he played a limited role during the last three seasons. However, he’s been productive during his opportunities with career averages of 13.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes. He starred for the Jazz during the 2021-22 Summer League session when he posted 13.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game while seeing an average of 25.7 minutes in seven appearances.

One of the few familiar faces on the roster is Justin Champagnie. The 22-year-old Brooklyn native joined the C’s on April 7 and saw just 33 minutes of action across the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. He should, however, play a prominent role on this Summer League team.

Before signing with the C’s, the 6-foot-6 forward produced a strong season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce (the Miami Heat G League affiliate), averaging 18.2 points on 52.2 percent shooting along with 8.1 rebounds per game.

Champagnie is a crafty scorer around the rim and a prolific rebounder for his size. One area that he can work on is his long-range shooting and this summer should give him an opportunity to do so. Also, keep an eye out for his twin brother, Julian, who has been balling out for the Summer Spurs squad, logging 58 total points in his first two games of the session.

Believe it or not, J.D. Davison is the only returnee from last season’s Summer League team. And boy, did he make an impression.

The 2022 second-round pick set Boston’s Summer League assists record last year, dishing out 41 in just five games. He was the most well-rounded player on the team, averaging 13.0 points, 8.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range.

Davison spent most of last season in the G League where he ranked among the top five in both total assists (227) and assist average (8.7) with the Maine Celtics.

The 20-year-old point guard also saw limited action in 12 regular-season NBA games where he had a few opportunities to show off his passing skills and explosive athleticism.

Expect Davison to be one of the top facilitators in the league this summer, as he chases Lonzo Ball’s Summer League career assist average record of 9.3 assists per game.

Based on the absurd athleticism he’s displayed during practice this week, we’re convinced that Jay Scrubb could probably scrub the Auerbach Center ceiling with his fingertips on a single leap. With a reported vertical of over 40 inches, Scrubb is a high-flying highlight reel (see photo below).

The 6-foot-5 guard has been around the league for a few years now after being drafted 55^th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020 NBA Draft. He spent his first two seasons with the LA Clippers and his most recent season with the Orlando Magic. Though, most of his playing time has been in the G League, where this past season he logged the sixth-most total points (622) and possessed the 8^th-best scoring average (22.2) among all players.

Scrubb does most of his damage at the rim, either soaring for dunks or twisting through the air for layups. He was one of the G League’s best at drawing contact last season, as one of six players to attempt at least 100 free throws.

Jordan Walsh is both the newest official member of the Celtics and the youngest member of the organization. And we’ll be seeing plenty of him over the next couple of weeks.

The 19-year-old forward signed his first NBA contract Thursday afternoon, two weeks after being chosen with the 38^th overall pick as Boston’s lone selection from the 2023 Draft.

Standing 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Walsh uses his length to wreak havoc on the defensive end. He’s already an NBA-level defender, in the opinion of Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, and he has a hustling mindset to put his body on the line for his team.

During his only season at the University of Arkansas, Walsh averaged 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 51.0 percent from inside the arc and 27.8 percent from beyond the arc, though Stevens says his 3-point shot has improved noticeably over the last few months.