The Boston Celtics have prepared to enter training camp on Oct. 3 with a roster that includes three partially guaranteed contracts, one non-guaranteed contract, and an Exhibit-10 contract in addition to their three players currently signed to a two-way contract.

With Celtics camp just around the corner, Dalano Banton, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Lamar Stevens are all on partially guaranteed contracts that has $200,000 guaranteed and over $1 million if they make the opening night roster. All of the partially guaranteed contracts will become guaranteed on Jan. 10, 2024 which is the date set by the NBA. 

Luke Kornet is on a non-guaranteed contract which also becomes fully guaranteed on the league-wide Jan. 10 deadline. If the Celtics keep him around, he will be on the books for $2,413,304 this season. 

Taylor Funk was signed at the beginning of September to an Exhibit-10 contract, which will give him the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in training camp.

Although the Celtics have a full roster at this point, any of the players listed above on a partially or non-guaranteed contract could be cut, which could make room for a player like Funk to find a roster spot if he’s able to impress during camp.

Celtics GM Brad Stevens made changes to the team during the offseason, some rather impactful ones I might add. The biggest offseason move was trading the longest tenured player on the team in Marcus Smart and bringing in big man Kristaps Porzingis. 

Not too shortly after trading Smart, head coach Joe Mazzulla said that Derrick White will be the starting point guard for this season. It’s a role that he hasn’t done full time in his career but he feels confident in himself to “get the guys in the right spot” and to run the offense.

Mazzulla named White starting point guard during a brief interview he did at Jaylen Brown’s supermax contract extension signing where Brown signed the richest contract in NBA history at $304 million over five years.

It’s worth mentioning that Jayson Tatum will also be eligible for a supermax contract extension for next summer. Tatum’s been seen in the gym working out with Paul Pierce for most of the summer and has been on the court with many different players including his teammate in Brown.

Brown and Tatum have worked out together this offseason despite being busy with their own off the court endeavors, which shows the dedication and commitment they have to the team and getting over the hump together. 

This was the first healthy offseason for center Rob Williams since he’s been with Boston. He’s been in the gym working out with his trainer Aaron Miller in Texas where he spends some of the offseason and just bought a home in Houston. Rob has worked on becoming a more versatile player this offseason and expanding his game further away from the basket.

Al Horford will have a legitimate role with Boston in his 37-year-old season. It’s fair to say limiting Al in the regular season should preserve him for the playoff run the Celtics are expecting to have this season. The biggest question mark around Al right now is if he’s in the starting lineup or coming off the bench.

Speaking of the bench, it’s going to once again be led by the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Malcolm Brogdon. Despite the reports saying he’s still upset with the team, there hasn’t been anything said from Brogdon himself this summer. It’s not surprising if Brogdon is upset with the team but that’s the nature of the NBA and he knows that. 

Payton Pritchard should be next in line for a bigger role this season as Boston’s sharpshooting backup guard. His 43/40/89 career shooting splits over the course of three years shows he can be a capable producer on the court. And although he’s submitted multiple trade requests, the Celtics still haven’t let him go.

Sam Hauser is poised to be Boston’s best shooter as he ranked in the top-13 last year at 41.8 percent but he’s in jeopardy of losing minutes to some of the Celtics offseason additions. Perhaps it’ll come down to Hauser being a stronger defender to earn adequate rotation minutes despite being a shooter for the team. 

Jordan Walsh turned the heads of many during the Summer League and looks to continue his success during camp as the rookie averaged 16 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 steals per game and hit 40.7 percent of his 3-pointers this summer. He offers great size and athleticism for a young player and should see the court for Boston during his first year. 

Oshae Brissett became the first free agent signing for the Celtics. This happened shortly after trading Grant Williams to the Mavericks. Brissett is poised to provide a two way role and bring energy to the team when he’s on the court. Brissett and Brogdon were teammates for two years with the Pacers from 2020-2022.

Two-Way Contracts:

JD Davison is on his second two-way contract with the Celtics and thrived in the Maine system as a rookie. He averaged 12.5 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting from the field and also added 8.7 assists per game. Davison needs to improve his 3-point shooting, averaging only 31.7 percent from deep.

Jay Scrubb earned himself a two-way contract after a standout Summer League with the Celtics where he averaged 14.4 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc. Scrubb also added 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game this summer. Don’t be surprised to see Scrubb get promoted to Boston in a similar way that Hauser did in 2022. 

Neemias Queta was most recently signed to secure Boston’s final two-way contract. The 7-foot big man was the G League MVP runner-up last year. He’s a great two way player and someone who could have a role early on behind Boston’s trio of big men who all have their own requirements during the course of a season.

In all, training camp is going to be important for the Celtics to see what they have in some of these new players as their roster isn’t yet complete. 

–Justin Trombino

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