LAS VEGAS -- Summer league has been about strong guard play for years, which has been at the heart of Boston’s strong start, including an 89-72 win over Cleveland Monday night.
The Celtics (2-0) got yet another balanced scoring attack with 12 different players contributing.
And similar to their win over Philadelphia on Saturday, it was Boston’s backcourt tandem of Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters setting the tone both with their scoring and overall play defensively.
Celtics assistant coach Scott Morrison who also coaches the summer league team, has been pleased with the instant chemistry the two have shown in a relatively short period of time.
“You can’t do that in ten days,” Morrison said. “You have to have some natural cohesion which they must have. It helps, Carsen’s more of a score-first type of guy and Tre’s more of a pass-first type of playmaker. So they kind of fit well that way.”
But where the two are seemingly on the same page is on defense where each has shown a willingness and ability to play tough, tight man-to-man defense that bodes well for their chances of being impactful when they get on the floor.
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“The fact that they can both hawk the ball is a big plus for us,” Morrison said.
But more than anything, Waters said he and Edwards have the same goal in mind every time they step on the court.
“We’re just trying to win; that’s it,” Waters told NBC Sports Boston following the win.
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 89-72 win.
STARS
Tacko Fall: The cheers for Tacko Fall begin before he sets foot on the floor, but his play validated the fan support on Monday. He had 12 points in 11 minutes while using his 7-foot-6 presence to force Cleveland to rely on perimeter shots most of the game.
Dylan Windler: He comes into the league as a lethal long-range shooter, and indeed lived up to the billing on Monday. He had 15 points to pace the Cavaliers which included him knocking down a trio of 3-pointers.
STUDS
Carsen Edwards: He didn’t dominate scoring as he did in Boston’s win over Philadelphia, but Edwards continues to find his spots offensively. He would finish with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field.
Tremont Waters: His ability to get downhill offensively and find ways to score has been on display in both of Boston’s summer league games. He got Boston off to a good start before finishing with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting to go with four rebounds, five assists and three steals.
DUDS
Guerschon Yabusele: I know he had to leave briefly with a left pinkie injury, but even before that Yabusele wasn’t very good. More than anything, he just doesn’t look comfortable when he’s on the floor now. And it has clearly affected his play at both ends of the floor. On Monday, he scored just four points while shooting 1-for-3 from the field, to go with two assists in 16 minutes.
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