Today at 3:00 on NBATV, the Clippers close their summer league play against the fearsome frontline of the Celtics squad, which fields two first-round draft picks from this June. The Clippers enter at 1-3, and the Celtics are 2-2. This will be the last chance for both teams to get a look at any players they are interested in potentially inviting to training camp.
Notes:
Clippers players:
Eric Bledsoe, Trey Thompkins, and Travis Leslie, the three players who were on the regular season team last year, will all miss today's finale.
Adam Morrison, the stud of this SL roster, is averaging 18.5 points and 4.8 rebounds on 54% from the field and 60% from deep. I think he gets a camp invite regardless of how today goes, so look for the team to try to see more of some other players.
Hilton Armstrong faces his biggest and final test of the summer league today against Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo- two first-round draft picks. Armstrong, who started off strong, has struggled overall, and it looks like he will need to impress today to earn a camp invite.
Marcus Hubbard, on the other hand, started off cold, but had a strong performance last night and could be a contender for a camp invite. Hubbard was the last player cut from the Clippers' roster last preseason.
Talor Battle didn't get much run early on with Bledsoe playing, but now that Bledsoe has left the team Battle impressed last night, with 15 points and 4 assists in 21 minutes. While Battle's decision making seemed questionable, he certainly could be one of the last players into camp if the Clippers look for another point guard.
At this stage in the game, those are the only players that I see potentially getting invited. The Clippers will start Battle, Wright, Morrison, Armstrong, and Hubbard.
Celtics players:
Jamar Smith and Dionte Christmas are both solid guards for the Celtics, but Smith has been inefficient, shooting 36% in Vegas and only averaging 2.3 assists. Christmas, on the other hand, nicely brings rebounding to the table with 4.5 rebounds a game.
Kris Joseph, the standout SF from Syracuse who was taken in the second round by the Celtics, starts for this squad. Joseph has been lackluster in Summer League, averaging 8 points on 30% shooting with a horrendous 11% from three.
Fab Melo, who played alongside Joseph at Syracuse last season, is averaging just 3.5 points, 3 rebounds, and .8 blocks in only 17 minutes a game.
Jared Sullinger, the projected lottery pick who fell to the Celtics at 21, has averaged 10.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in Las Vegas play, but has shot a tepid 26% from the field.
The Celtics will start Smith, Christmas, Joseph, Sullinger, and Melo.
Other notable names on the Celtics roster include Craig Brackins, JaJuan Johnson, Etwaun Moore, and Sean Williams.