The One Player Celtics Fans Really Need To Pay Attention To In Summer League

Purdue's Trevion Williams can score on the block and rebound, and has shown a decent long-range shot. But can he defend? If so, he could be the latest offseason steal for the Celtics.

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LAS VEGAS – There’s one Boston Celtics player that should be watched closely during Summer League … and it ain’t Sam Hauser.

It’s rookie Trevion Williams, a burly forward/center who has the potential to be yet another offseason steal for the Celtics.

After a few practices with the Celtics, players agree that his playmaking is what stands out thus far in his game.

“There were a couple of times he was looking the other way and threw it to a different guy that he wasn’t looking at, right in the shooting pocket for the 3,” said Boston’s Sam Hauser who added, “He’s going to have a real impact in these games coming up.”

The 6-foot-10, 255-pound big man from Purdue was a first-team All-Big Ten performer as a junior. He tested the NBA waters but decided to return for his senior season.

He was part of a Purdue team that was among the nation’s best squads and found himself in a very different role - a key reserve. While his numbers took a slight dip, his impact on games was nonetheless still significant which led to him being named the Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year.

While it certainly had an impact on his draft stock in the eyes of scouts, it may have been the best thing for him long term.

His game at the NBA level appears to be that of a role player coming off the bench, something that is at times difficult for young players coming into the NBA having been stars on their teams dating all the way back to the first and second grade.

Accepting a role off the bench on a good team is something Williams is clearly comfortable with doing, having done it as a college senior.

Whether he started or came off the bench, we know Williams is an effective scorer at the rim having shot 51 percent or better from the field in each of his four seasons. And as a senior, he made 35.7 percent of his 3-point shots.

But that won’t mean much in summer league; at least for him.

The NBA and college basketball to a lesser extent, are fueled by the notion of playing the game position-free which has made the traditional big man an endangered species.

For most, including Williams, the challenge lies at the defensive end of the floor.

NBA teams play a ton of pick-and-roll offense, leading to defensive switches. That will lead to bigs having to guard smaller, quicker players. That’s why players like Al Horford and Robert Williams III are so valuable in part because of their ability to switch defensively and that does not have a significantly adverse impact on the team.

This is where summer league will be a great benefit to Williams.

The NBA summer league is very much like an open gym with some semblance of structure. But for the most part, all players are looking to score and take shots and create mismatches that will allow them to showcase their offensive talent.

Williams has to show that when those defensive switches occur, and we know they will, he won’t morph into a human EZ Pass and allow players to soar into the paint unencumbered.

The thing that players in summer league have to understand is regardless of what your strengths are as a player and what you’ve done to get to this point, it doesn’t matter if what you bring to the game doesn’t address a team’s need from your position.

Hauser, the lone player on the Celtics summer league who comes in with a multi-year contract agreed upon, doesn’t need to showcase his shooting prowess.

They know he can do that, which is why they signed him to a multi-year deal.

But can he be an adequate defender in a format where players are looking to attack all matchups?

Williams, like so many undrafted rookies in summer league, has to figure out where he fits in and can make an impact.

Scoring would be nice, for sure.

But it’s his ability to defend adequately, more than anything else, will bolster his chances of sticking around beyond summer league with the Celtics.

If you like reading Full Court Press? Please subscribe and leave your thoughts, ideas, etc in the comments section. And if you want to get your friends on the Full Court Press team, forward away. You ️can also follow my Facebook page at @sherrodblakely.