He cooled off after that and ended the night at 4 for 11 from long range, but there was zero wrong with Broome’s approach. While he was eager to shoot, the 22-year-old rookie made sensible decisions and certainly wasn’t selfish.
The sample size is obviously not massive, but Broome’s summer league shooting has been encouraging overall, especially considering that he didn’t start taking threes until his junior season at Auburn and was 27.8 percent beyond the arc last year. He’s shot 10 for 22 (45.5 percent) in Las Vegas play.
Armstrong catches fire
The Sixers use five men off the bench in Armstrong, Jalen Slawson, Saint Thomas, Andrew Funk and Stefan Todorovic.
Armstrong had a breakout performance. He canned three first-quarter triples and racked up 13 points in the opening period.
Armstrong’s ultra-confident attacking as the Sixers’ backup point guard was quite impressive. One strong night won’t dramatically change the general perception of his shooting ability — Armstrong went 28.2 percent from long distance last season — but it’s absolutely a major positive as he looks to build his professional career.
Vets get Sixers over the finish line
Hunter Sallis (nine points, five rebounds) started Wednesday at shooting guard. He drove baseline and flushed a big and-one dunk early in the third quarter.
The 6-foot-2 Armstrong showed off his burst and bounce later in the third, hammering home two slams.
Starting point guard Judah Mintz also played well Wednesday, recording 14 points and four assists. Mintz has largely played like a veteran in his second summer league. He’s totaled 16 assists and four turnovers in Las Vegas.
Keve Aluma scored in double figures for the second night in a row, adding 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. Twelve of Aluma’s points came in the fourth quarter.
At 26 years old, Aluma has significantly more professional experience than the average summer leaguer. He’s had bright moments in Vegas for the Sixers the past two years.
Knicks wing Josh Hart underwent a procedure on his right ring finger due to an injury suffered during the playoffs, the team announced Wednesday.
Hart said he dislocated the finger during New York's Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley noted.
Luckily, the 30-year-old isn't expected to miss much time and will resume basketball activities later this summer, the Knicks said.
Hart averaged 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.5 steals over a career-high and league-leading 37.6 minutes per game across 77 games (all starts) last year for the Knicks.
He then averaged 11.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.1 steals over 18 playoff games (14 starts), helping New York reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
With a majority of the team returning for the 2025-26 NBA season, Hart is expected to continue his role as the glue guy for New York under new head coach Mike Brown.
They say don’t meet your heroes — unless your hero is your new teammate, that is.
Will Richard experienced that firsthand when he met Steph Curry for the first time this summer, and it was a memory the Warriors rookie certainly will remember forever.
“For me, I mean, [Curry] was my favorite player growing up, him and Klay [Thompson], so that was definitely a top three moment in my life, and just how it happened,” Richard said Tuesday during an appearance on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs.” “We were at the first Cali Classic game; I wasn’t able to play because the trade hadn’t gone through yet, and fans, they were calling me to go sign autographs, so I had to walk past [Curry]. And, you know, he’s Stephen Curry. You don’t want to go up and intrude on what he’s doing. So I went up past him by the fans and signed some autographs.
“When I was coming down the steps, he came up to me, shook my hand and was like, ‘Welcome to the Bay. We’re happy to have you, and I’m excited to work with you.’ So for me, that meant a lot. It was definitely some motivation, because you’re hearing that from a guy that you grew up watching, grew up loving, grew up wanting to be like, so it was definitely some motivation.”
The Warriors traded up to select Richard at No. 56 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft last month, acquiring a former Florida guard who helped the Gators win their first national championship since 2007 last season. Unsurprisingly, hoisting the NABC National Championship Trophy was right up there with meeting Curry in Richard’s list of top three life moments.
“I would probably say winning the natty, and let’s go with being born,” Richard told “Willard and Dibs” when asked to round out his top three. “It’s been a good few months, for sure.”
Richard is proving his worth so far for the Warriors during NBA Summer League play, averaging 12.4 points on 44-percent shooting with 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.0 steals across five starts.
While it remains to be seen exactly when or if Richard will join Curry on the NBA roster this fall, it’s nice to know the Warriors star already is well acquainted with his team’s latest draft pick. And for the 22-year-old rook, the time Curry took to speak with him meant everything.
Bradley Beal will be leaving the Phoenix Suns to join the Clippers after he clears waivers following an agreement to have his contract bought out. (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
The Clippers will add scoring punch to their lineup by acquiring three-time All-Star Bradley Beal after he clears waivers following a contract buyout from the Phoenix Suns, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, confirmed to The Times.
Beal has agreed to a two-year, $11-million deal that includes a player option for the second season. He was owed $110 million over the next two seasons.
Beal, in effect, replaces Norman Powell in the Clippers' lineup. Powell was traded in a three-team deal recently that allowed the Clippers to acquire forward John Collins.
In 13 seasons — the first 11 with the Washington Wizards and the last two with the Suns — Beal has averaged 21.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 46.4% from the field, 37.6% from three-point range and 82.1% from the free-throw line.
Beal, though, missed 58 games because of injuries the last two seasons, when he averaged 17.6 points on 50.5% shooting, 40.7% from deep.
The Clippers' retooled roster includes 7-foot veteran center Brook Lopez, who they added during free agency on a two-year deal.
The worst-kept secret in the NBA finally became official on Wednesday: The Phoenix Suns and Bradley Beal have agreed to a buyout that will allow the Suns to waive-and-stretch the remaining money on Beal's contract, making him a free agent. Beal will sign a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, with Shams Charania of ESPN officially breaking the news.
This had been anticipated for weeks but was on hold because Beal was set to receive a $13.4 million payment from Phoenix on July 15, a 25% advance payment of his salary for the upcoming season. Once that was completed, the transaction moved forward.
Beal has to give up an estimated $13.8 million of his contract for the Suns to be able to waive and stretch him (thanks to a little-discussed provision of the CBA that only allows 15% of a team's salary cap to go toward buyouts, and the Suns already had a couple of smaller ones). Beal ultimately was willing to do that to essentially buy his freedom to sign with the team of his choosing.
That team is the Clippers. The Clippers are using the $5.4 million remaining from their mid-level exception to sign Beal (with a $5.6 million player option for next season. This signing leaves the Clippers hard-capped at the first apron, which they are about $3.5 million below, (expect them to add one more veteran minimum deal).
Beal is going to get heavy minutes in Los Angeles, being asked to step into the role Norman Powell played for the team last season. Powell was a borderline All-Star as a sharpshooting, ball-handling wing playing next to James Harden and running the second unit (he was traded to Miami, a move seen around the league as a precursor to Beal becoming a Clipper). Beal may start next to Harden or come off the bench behind the more defensive Kris Dunn. That Clippers second unit could also include John Collins (unless Collins starts and Derrick Jones Jr. comes off the bench), Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Brook Lopez. Beal joins a team with championship aspirations that won 50 games last season and may be better this season (if Kawhi Leonard stays healthy). While there are always playoff questions surrounding Harden, the Clippers are a top-six team (and possibly a top-four team) in the West.
The Suns receive more short-term financial relief, as Beal's salary drops from $57.3 million to approximately $19 million — a move that aligns with the pattern of short-term thinking prevalent in Phoenix since Mat Ishbia purchased the team. The Suns now have $19 million in dead money serving as an anchor on their books for each of the next five years. The Suns will have to work around that as they retool the team around Devin Booker, and in a tax apron world, that dead money is going to hamper future moves. However, in the short term things definitely get less expensive, and the Suns have some options as the roster undergoes a major shift.
The Warriors are constructed to win now, but what does that mean for the team’s future?
While the situation surrounding restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga remains at a standstill, Zach Lowe shared his thoughts on Golden State’s future.
“The other depressing thought about the Warriors as currently constructed,” Lowe said. “Depressing but also like the most likely outcome by far to the end of a dynastic era, is that the two timelines thing has not happened.
“And the post-Steph future, despite all the talk about it, all the careful planning for it, several savvy picks like [Brandin] Podziemski, looks like a good pick for where he was drafted.”
Brandin Podziemski averaged 11.7 points per game last season and shot 44.5 percent from the field. It was a solid effort from Podziemski along with several other young role players, but the main focus continues to be on Kuminga.
“Even a guy like [Trayce] Jackson-Davis looks like a good pick for where he was drafted,” Lowe continued. “Despite all of that, the post-Steph future looks incredibly bleak. The Kuminga transaction, whatever it is, to me is maybe the single most important franchise-building transaction that’s coming in the next two to three to four months in the NBA.
Kuminga averaged 15.3 points per game last season on 45.4-percent shooting from the field. The 22-year-old missed 31 games last year due to a sprained right ankle.
The former No. 7 overall pick has shown spurts of greatness, but high-level consistency has been the issue.
“And I just don’t see a world in which that transaction sets the Warriors up for a happier post-Steph future,” Lowe added. “Because I don’t think that’s going to be, we re-sign Kuminga and he’s a breakout star for us. I think it’s going to be a sign-and-trade in which the return is slightly underwhelming.”
Mike Dunleavy has a tough decision to make this offseason on whether or not Kuminga will be a Warrior next season, and it could shape the franchise for several years to come.
LAS VEGAS — It was always this simple: LeBron James has a no-trade clause, meaning he has control over if and where he might be moved, and he has never asked for a trade. The Lakers might be planning for a few years out, thinking about how to build their roster around Luka Doncic, but this season, they plan to win with both of their superstars in the lineup.
Amid the constant speculation recently about his future, both the Lakers and people close to the NBA's all-time leading scorer expect that he will be with the organization for training camp once the season begins this fall, league sources told The Athletic.
Those same sources said the Lakers have received no indication from James or his representatives that he would request a trade or ask to be bought out of the final year of his contract, which will be his eighth season with the Lakers, the longest consecutive stretch spent with one organization in his career.
The report goes on to say there have been no buyout talks between LeBron and the Lakers.
LeBron's future has been the buzzy topic at Summer League. People often point to the statement from LeBron's agent, Rich Paul, when LeBron picked up his $52.6 million player option for this season: "We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career." While that sounds ominous, considering LeBron's long history of he or people around him making passive-aggressive offseason comments to get a team to spend big, it felt more like something from his playbook. Plus, LeBron picked up his player option and is not the kind of person who has given money back in his career (nor should he), but trading that massive salary makes any trade that much more complex. For example, the Cavaliers can't trade for him because they are over the second apron of the luxury tax (it would have to be a one-for-one swap, and the Cavs don't have anyone making LeBron-level money). A trade to a team like the Knicks would gut that roster of the depth that would have been a draw to LeBron in the first place.
The most likely scenario has always been that LeBron would play out this season with the Lakers, trying to win with Doncic, Austin Reaves and new center Deandre Ayton. This is a team whose top-end talent has proven itself in the offseason, and they could be a threat.
Next summer, when LeBron is a free agent, is when things really get interesting.
Bradley Beal is the latest All-Star on his way out of Phoenix.
The former Suns guard reportedly agreed to a contract buyout and plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers after clearing waivers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday.
Several teams reportedly had interest in Beal outside of the Clippers, including the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, among others. In the end, he settled on a reported two-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers that has a player option in the second season.
Beal had two years and $110.8 million remaining on his contract with the Suns, which he originally signed with the Washington Wizards. That deal also included a no-trade clause, making it extra difficult for the Suns to offload.
A breakup with the Suns became inevitable for Beal after a disappointing second season in Phoenix. Pairing Beal with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant (who was traded to the Houston Rockets last month), the Suns had high expectations entering 2023, when they traded away Chris Paul for Beal. That season ended by being swept in the first-round, and last season was even worse, missing the Play-In Tournament all together.
Beal, 32, has taken a step back in recent years after making three All-Star teams in Washington. The St. Louis native averaged 17 points per game (his fewest since 2014-15) and came off the bench for 15 games (his most since 2015-16). The fit ultimately just did not work out in Phoenix.
Now, Beal joins a Clippers team that will have lower expectations for the veteran guard. Ty Lue’s squad won 50 games last season behind Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. But with the team trading away Norman Powell, there’s an obvious need for more scoring. The Clippers added John Collins and Brook Lopez to bolster the front line, and now Beal should improve the backcourt.
Bradley Beal is the latest All-Star on his way out of Phoenix.
The former Suns guard reportedly agreed to a contract buyout and plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers after clearing waivers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday.
Several teams reportedly had interest in Beal outside of the Clippers, including the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, among others. In the end, he settled on a reported two-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers that has a player option in the second season.
Beal had two years and $110.8 million remaining on his contract with the Suns, which he originally signed with the Washington Wizards. That deal also included a no-trade clause, making it extra difficult for the Suns to offload.
A breakup with the Suns became inevitable for Beal after a disappointing second season in Phoenix. Pairing Beal with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant (who was traded to the Houston Rockets last month), the Suns had high expectations entering 2023, when they traded away Chris Paul for Beal. That season ended by being swept in the first-round, and last season was even worse, missing the Play-In Tournament all together.
Beal, 32, has taken a step back in recent years after making three All-Star teams in Washington. The St. Louis native averaged 17 points per game (his fewest since 2014-15) and came off the bench for 15 games (his most since 2015-16). The fit ultimately just did not work out in Phoenix.
Now, Beal joins a Clippers team that will have lower expectations for the veteran guard. Ty Lue’s squad won 50 games last season behind Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. But with the team trading away Norman Powell, there’s an obvious need for more scoring. The Clippers added John Collins and Brook Lopez to bolster the front line, and now Beal should improve the backcourt.
The Warriors have yet to make a move in free agency, and one former NBA champion is not a fan of what could be their first offseason addition.
Udonis Haslem had choice words Tuesday on ESPN’s “NBA Today” to describe Al Horford possibly landing in Golden State.
“You are not addressing length and athleticism by just bringing in Al,” Haslem said. “Love Al, but that is not the one that’s gonna push you over the hump.”
The Warriors were outmatched physically in the Western Conference semifinals last season against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing the series in five games.
“You saw the lack of size glaringly against Minnesota last year,” Haslem continued. “You saw the lack of athleticism glaringly against Minnesota last year.”
Horford, a 39-year-old, six-foot-nine center, doesn’t give an advantage in quickness or size.
“When you talk about bringing in Al, I love Al. I would love for him to finish his career with a guy like Steph (Curry),” Haslem said. “He’s a guy who’s definitely gonna space the floor and knock down some threes, but he does not address your needs.”
“He does not address the need of athleticism. When you talk about bringing in another guy that is older, and he does not address the need of having size.”
The 18-year NBA veteran averaged nine points a game last season.
Golden State has been reluctant to make any key moves due to the situation with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, whose key attribute is athleticism.
While Horford joining Golden State appears most likely, per multiple reports, ESPN insider Marc Spears noted that retirement still is very much on the table for the 39-year-old.
Not without a say from Horford’s eldest child, Ean, though.
“But keep in mind, do you know who I think is going to be in this decision? His 10-year-old son, Ean,” Spears shared Tuesday on “NBA Today.” “He just started traveling with Al on the road about two seasons ago. Kid loves basketball. I know he’s like, ‘Dad! Steph Curry, dad!’ I can see Ean convincing his dad to keep playing.”
During Dennis Schröder’s short time in the Bay, the veteran point guard revealed that his son was ecstatic that his dad was going to be teaming up with his favorite player, Curry, on the Warriors.
He spent the last four seasons with the Boston Celtics, playing a crucial role in Boston’s status as a title contender throughout that period, culminating in a championship in 2024. His ability to shoot the 3-ball, defend at a high level and provide veteran leadership, among several other qualities, was very valuable to the Celtics’ ascension — and could benefit the Warriors and stretch the floor alongside Curry.
Spears shared another key note regarding Horford, stating that being far from home won’t play a factor in whatever decision he makes, as other teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks also have shown interest.
“Golden State expected him to sign last week, but he didn’t,” Spears said. Lakers, Milwaukee, Atlanta, I believe, are also interested in nearly a 40-year-old guy, who also has retirement on the table. He’s still considering retiring. He’s not in any hurry. He’s got a sixth kid coming on the way.
“He lives in Atlanta and Boston in the offseason, but I’m hearing whether it’s Golden State or, to a lesser extent, if it’s the Lakers, being away from the family, that far, isn’t going to be in that decision.”
Everyone wants to play with Curry at some point in their career, and even their children are having a say.
Bradley Beal is the latest All-Star on his way out of Phoenix.
The veteran guard agreed to a contract buyout with the Suns and plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers after clearing waivers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday, citing Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein.
BREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gxZB0ObSms
Several teams reportedly had interest in Beal outside of the Clippers, including the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, among others. In the end, he settled on a reported two-year, $11 million deal with Los Angeles that has a player option for the second season.
Beal had two years and $110.8 million remaining on his contract with the Suns, which he originally signed with the Washington Wizards. That deal also included a no-trade clause, making it extra difficult for the Suns to offload.
A breakup with the Suns became inevitable for Beal after a disappointing second season in Phoenix. Pairing Beal with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant (who was traded to the Houston Rockets last month), the Suns had high expectations entering 2023, when they traded away Chris Paul for Beal. That season ended by being swept in the first-round, and last season was even worse, missing the NBA Play-In Tournament all together.
Beal, 32, has taken a step back in recent years after making three All-Star teams in Washington. The St. Louis native averaged 17 points per game (his fewest since 2014-15) and came off the bench for 15 games (his most since 2015-16). The fit ultimately just did not work out in Phoenix.
Now, Beal joins a Clippers team that will have lower expectations for the veteran guard. Ty Lue’s squad won 50 games last season behind Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. But with the team trading away Norman Powell, there’s an obvious need for more scoring. The Clippers added John Collins and Brook Lopez to bolster the front line, and now Beal should improve the backcourt.
Bradley Beal is the latest All-Star on his way out of Phoenix.
The veteran guard agreed to a contract buyout with the Suns and plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers after clearing waivers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday, citing Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein.
BREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after clearing waivers, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gxZB0ObSms
Several teams reportedly had interest in Beal outside of the Clippers, including the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, among others. In the end, he settled on a reported two-year, $11 million deal with Los Angeles that has a player option for the second season.
Beal had two years and $110.8 million remaining on his contract with the Suns, which he originally signed with the Washington Wizards. That deal also included a no-trade clause, making it extra difficult for the Suns to offload.
A breakup with the Suns became inevitable for Beal after a disappointing second season in Phoenix. Pairing Beal with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant (who was traded to the Houston Rockets last month), the Suns had high expectations entering 2023, when they traded away Chris Paul for Beal. That season ended by being swept in the first-round, and last season was even worse, missing the NBA Play-In Tournament all together.
Beal, 32, has taken a step back in recent years after making three All-Star teams in Washington. The St. Louis native averaged 17 points per game (his fewest since 2014-15) and came off the bench for 15 games (his most since 2015-16). The fit ultimately just did not work out in Phoenix.
Now, Beal joins a Clippers team that will have lower expectations for the veteran guard. Ty Lue’s squad won 50 games last season behind Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. But with the team trading away Norman Powell, there’s an obvious need for more scoring. The Clippers added John Collins and Brook Lopez to bolster the front line, and now Beal should improve the backcourt.
The Warriors, eventually, could make a pair of impactful NBA free agency moves.
Golden State has yet to add a player since the league’s free agency negotiating window opened on June 30, largely due to restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga’s contract standstill, but whenever the transaction logjam breaks, NBA insider Marc Stein expects the Warriors to come away with two veteran free agents they have been tied to all summer.
“My expectation is that one way or another, the Warriors are going to end up with both [Al] Horford and [De’Anthony] Melton on their roster,” Stein said Tuesday on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs.”
Stein also reported that the Warriors have interest in soon-to-be free agent guard Bradley Beal, who currently is working through a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns.
“They still have interest in Bradley Beal. I would say most people around the league don’t expect the Warriors to win that race, but I don’t know I would say they’re all the way out of it,” Stein added. “We don’t know exactly yet what Bradley Beal’s choice will be.”
While a move for Beal might seem unlikely, the Warriors eventually signing Horford and Melton appears to be a foregone conclusion among some NBA insiders, including Stein.
Golden State has made it clear it would like to add size and shooting this offseason, and Horford checks both boxes, while Melton, who signed with the Warriors last offseason and played in six games before suffering an ACL injury and eventually was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, impressed in his brief stint with the team and was a favorite among the coaching staff and the fan base.
It remains to be seen when these moves could materialize, with Kuminga’s situation potentially the first domino to fall, but once there is clarity there, the Warriors soon could add two key veterans to their roster.
The Boston Celtics have played only three NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas. But with the team in the middle of a two-day break, it’s time for an annual tradition: overreacting to a tiny sample of exhibition basketball.
Here are five over-caffeinated takeaways from Boston’s first week in Vegas:
1. Jordan Walsh getting ejected was the best thing that could have happened to him.
Look, getting booted early from your best game of the summer is less than ideal. And nearly taking out Boston’s entire braintrust while yeeting an opponent into the first row was risky, too.
But Monday’s ejection was a reminder for the 21-year-old Walsh of the sort of intensity that can keep him on the floor during real games.
Walsh isn’t dominating Summer League in the way you might hope a Year 3 player would, but we have to remind ourselves he’s still the second-youngest player on Boston’s summer roster. He’s been at his best when getting physical. Walsh has ventured into the post for some bully ball and shown good ability finishing through contact on drives.
After missing his first 22 3-point attempts last year, he’s more consistently knocked down shots from distance this time around, shooting 35.7 percent on 4.7 3-point attempts per game this summer.
If Walsh can harness the sort of intensity that Pelle Larsson summoned from him Monday night, then we think he can carve out a more consistent role. It’s the least surprising thing in the world that Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was a fan of Walsh getting tossed. He’d probably be an even bigger fan of Walsh playing with more consistency — and controlled aggression — during the 2025-26 season.
2. Baylor Scheierman’s TD pass from the floor was a road map to consistent time.
Scheierman’s 3-point shooting hasn’t been great in Vegas (21.4 percent on 9.3 attempts per game). But much like Walsh, we think Scheierman’s best basketball has come when he’s simply playing hard and letting his basketball IQ take over.
Not that we didn’t know Scheierman’s potential as a passer already. The 24-year-old had a couple of Rajon Rondo-esque dimes late in his rookie season.
If the shot is going to be streaky, then Scheierman needs to bring value in other areas. We’d like to see him gamble less on defense and just let those natural instincts guide him. His court vision and ability to deliver on-target passes might be his biggest strength.
3. Hugo Gonzalez needs consistent minutes in his rookie season.
Mazzulla is an admitted rookie hater. He told Scheierman (and the since-departed Anton Watson) as much during their first NBA seasons. But in a season where Boston’s depth is depleted and expectations will be tempered, rookie Hugo Gonzalez could really benefit from learning on the job.
Yes, Gonzalez is only 19. But he’s been a pro in Spain for more than a half decade. He spent all of last season surrounded by former NBA veterans. His two appearances at Summer League have shown there will be plenty of ups and downs. Gonzalez getting a tough whistle in his second Summer League game prepped him for some of those impending frustrations.
But we like how hard Gonzalez plays. He crashes the glass relentlessly from the perimeter, and will basically launch himself into an opponent that tries to cut on the other end of the floor.
We’ll balance this suggestion by acknowledging that playing time is earned, not given. But we have a feeling that, perhaps more than anyone else on this Summer League roster, Gonzalez is going to state a case for consistent time with how hard he plays.
4. Josh Minott could be All-Interview First Teamer.
From noting how the Celtics shoot a “s— ton of 3s,” to an emphatic, “Why not Minott?” explanation of how to pronounce his last name, Josh Minott had a brief-but-entertaining first media session with reporters in Vegas.
It gave us a little bit of Robert Williams III vibes. (Fun aside: Time Lord cursed so frequently during his first media sessions in Boston that Celtics brass pulled him aside and politely suggested that he didn’t need to swear as much. And he listened!)
We are very intrigued by Minott. He’s got great size and defensive versatility. He’s nicknamed the Lawn Mower because he just goes and goes once you start him up. He’s still only 22 years old, and we’re eager to see if the Celtics can pull even more out of Minott this season.
Getting some fun soundbites wouldn’t be bad either on a team that lost a lot of personality in Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis.
5. The Celtics have a type … and maybe a new playing style.
It feels like every player the Celtics have added this offseason has a reputation as a cutter. From drafting Gonzalez to signing Minott to adding Jalen Bridges to the summer roster, it appears there will be a greater emphasis on movement in this year’s offense.
Of the 16 playoff teams in 2025, the Celtics ranked dead last with only 4.8 possessions finished off cuts. That was roughly half the number of top teams like the Rockets (10.7), Nuggets (9.8), Warriors (9.1), and Thunder (8.5).
Ironically, the Celtics had the best points per possession off cuts (1.47) and shot 71.4 percent off that playtype.
The offense just never featured quite enough cutting. Even the regular season numbers were less than ideal, with Boston generating 5.9 finishes off cuts per game (tied for 27th in the NBA) but averaging 1.36 points per possession (tied for 4th-best).
With the absence of so much talent going into the 2025-26 season, we suspect the Celtics will play harder on both ends to try to mask the talent drain. We could see more pressing of opposing ball handlers after made baskets, and we suspect there will be an emphasis on movement and crashing the offensive glass with the players added this offseason.
