President of basketball operations Brad Stevens liked what he saw from first-round draft pick Hugo Gonzalez in the Celtics' Summer League opener Friday night in Las Vegas, despite the rookie's struggles from the field and the free-throw line.
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens liked what he saw from first-round draft pick Hugo Gonzalez in the Celtics' Summer League opener Friday night in Las Vegas, despite the rookie's struggles from the field and the free-throw line.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
LAS VEGAS — Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens spoke briefly with reporters after watching Boston’s summer league team practice Saturday. He shared early assessments of the squad and discussed other topics.
Here are some highlights.
▪ The NBA’s Board of Governors is expected to approve Bill Chisholm’s bid to buy the Celtics when it meets here this week. A group led by Chisholm agreed to purchase the team from the Grousbeck family at a valuation of $6.1 billion. Fifty-one percent will be sold once the deal is final, with the balance closing in 2028. Lead governor Wyc Grousbeck is expected to remain in control until then.
When Chisholm agreed to purchase the team in March, the near-term outlook was bright. Boston was favored to win its second consecutive NBA title, with a core in place that included superstar forward Jayson Tatum. Tatum then ruptured his Achilles’ tendon during the conference semifinals against the Knicks, and Boston went on to lose the series.
In recent weeks, the urgency to get below the salary cap’s second apron and avoid severe roster-building restrictions led to the departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, and Al Horford’s exit is imminent.
But Stevens said Chisholm has remained upbeat and has been a supportive voice during this challenging stretch.
“Wyc is obviously still the governor and has been obviously very, very active,” Stevens said. “But I think Bill has been in pretty much every meeting or Zoom that we’ve had with the governors and ownership and everything else. So, he’s been great. I’m a big fan and he’s got a great way about him. I think he’s very smart. He loves the Celtics.
“He didn’t take over at the easiest of times when you talk about the second apron issues that we talked about the other day, and Tatum’s injury, and everything else. But he’s so level-headed and he’s got such a good way about him. I’m really excited to have him around.”
▪ Stevens acknowledged that there were mistakes in the Celtics’ summer league win over the Grizzlies Friday, but he was pleased that none were related to the team’s level of effort.
First-round pick Hugo Gonzalez made 4 of 12 shots and had 12 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, but afterward he lamented going 1 for 5 from the free-throw line.
“I think he really wants to be good,” Stevens said. “You can tell he’s got a good work ethic, a good compete level. There’s a care factor there and, you know, he’s just learning. His head was spinning in the first half. There were a couple times he was looking one way and the guy was three steps behind him cutting the other way.
“So, he had a good day, but he can do a lot of things better. He’ll get that quick.”
Stevens pointed out that Gonzalez could also use a break. He helped Real Madrid to the Spanish League title on the same night he was drafted last month. The Celtics initially told him to take about four days to recharge before coming to Boston, but he arrived after just two. Stevens said Gonzalez will sit out one of the Celtics’ next two games in Las Vegas.
▪ Last week, Stevens hinted that the Celtics would use summer league to experiment with new concepts and approaches that might be useful next season, in the wake of extensive personnel changes. He expanded on that possibility Saturday.
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily experimenting just for the sake of experimenting,” he said. “I think it’s more this is the team you have, you play to the strengths of your team and you figure that out. You’re not afraid to try things, obviously, but we’ll see who’s available, and when you do you figure out how to play to give yourselves the best chance to win.”
Still, Stevens acknowledged that tactical approaches in summer league don’t always translate, because defensive coverages are fairly simple due to the lack of practice time and familiarity among players.
▪ Veteran big man Charles Bassey was a late addition to Boston’s summer squad but had an impressive debut, registering 14 points and 11 rebounds in just 18 minutes. Bassey, who battled injuries while playing for the 76ers and Spurs over the last four seasons, said he is now healthy and eager for another shot.
“He’s a guy that’s probably playing for what’s next,” Stevens said. “I just think he’s a guy we’ve paid attention to from afar for a long time. We’re watching all these guys all the time, and I thought he did a really good job yesterday. He probably was the biggest reason we won the game, I thought.”
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.