Celtics' Ben Sullivan Gets His Shot To Lead in Summer League

Celtics assistant Ben Sullivan, known for his work in helping players improve their shooting, will coach Boston's summer league squad and show he's more than just a shot coach.

Summer league is all about opportunity. For players, it affords them a chance to showcase their skills before a thirsty audience of spectators looking to be a witness to the next big star.

If you're paying attention to the Boston Celtics, you know that's not happening with this year's summer league team. Other than Sam Hauser, there is not a single player on this team who goes into summer league with a contract to play for Boston.

That's why as much as we will all be on Hauser watch to see if the sharpshooter can give Ime Udoka another option to seriously consider for his rotation next year, the real man to keep an eye on is summer league head coach Ben Sullivan.

Like players, coaches also benefit from the opportunity that summer league presents.

And among Boston's coaching staff, few have maximized their chances in the NBA as a coach, more than Sullivan.

He came into the league working in the video room of the San Antonio Spurs, a job that came about in part based on the recommendation he got from then-Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka who now runs the show in Boston.

Sullivan steadily climbed the coaching depth chart in San Antonio, and eventually left as part of Mike Budenholzer's staff in Atlanta.

When Budenholzer moved on to Milwaukee, Sullivan came with him and was an instrumental part of Milwaukee's 2021 championship team.

Sullivan's role in part with the Bucks, was working with Giannis Antetokounmpo to improve his shooting. It's still far from perfect or even ideal. But there are far more clutch, long-range shot-making stretches in Antetokounmpo's game the last couple of years than previously.

And Sullivan, who in San Antonio worked under the watchful eye of one of the best shooting coaches ever, Chip Engelland, had a major hand in that improvement.

But like most NBA assistants, Sullivan would eventually like to be an NBA head coach someday. Before that happens, he has to at a minimum get on the radar of front offices.

That is where summer league comes into play.

Teams won't make head coaching decisions based on how a coach fares in summer league. There are just too many variables that come into play that make it all but impossible to see the absolute best a team has to offer and thus, has the potential to impact winning.

But it does provide some insight into how a coach copes with pressure, deals with less-than-ideal circumstances, handles the media...all the trappings that come with being an NBA head coach.

Celtics assistant coach Joe Mazzulla coached Boston's summer league team last season. That, combined with Boston's success, had him among those interviewed for several head coaching jobs including the Celtics position that opened when then-head coach Brad Stevens stepped aside to become the team's President of Basketball Operations.

A number of recent NBA head coaching hires from the assistant coaching ranks, such as Jamahl Mosley in Orlando and more recently Celtics assistant coach Will Hardy being hired in Utah, had part of their coaching journey include stops in summer league.

With Hardy's departure as Boston's lead assistant, there is a vacancy on the Celtics coaching staff. Udoka has said ideally he would fill in internally.

Is Sullivan the best fit for the job?

A strong showing in leading Boston's summer league team can only help his chances.