Celtics-Hornets Summer League takeaways: Watson, House impress in C’s win

Celtics-Hornets Summer League takeaways: Watson, House impress in C’s win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics improved to 2-1 in NBA Summer League action with a win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.

After cruising past Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, it was a hard-fought battle for the C’s against Charlotte in Las Vegas. They outscored the Hornets 33-24 in the fourth quarter to pull off the 89-84 win.

Rookie second-round pick Anton Watson and the newly-added Jah’mius Ramsey led the way with 15 points apiece. First-round pick Baylor Scheierman added 12 points while Jaelen House, the son of 2008 NBA champion Eddie House, tallied eight points in 16 minutes.

Zavier Simpson paced the Hornets with 19 points. Matt Morgan contributed 15 points for a Charlotte team that had five double-digit scorers in a losing effort.

The Celtics will wrap up their four-game Summer League slate Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston. First, here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s matchup.

Anton Watson looks sharp

Watson continues to look solid through three games with the C’s. Wednesday marked the Gonzaga product’s best showing yet as he led the team with 15 points on an efficient 6-of-12 shooting (3-9 from 3) in 24 minutes.

Also a team-best +12, Watson added five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in an impressive all-around performance. While it’s far too early to project Watson’s future with Boston, the 23-year-old has shown intriguing potential.

Watson remains unsigned to this point, but he’s making a strong case for a two-way deal. Another standout game on Friday might force the Celtics front office’s hand.

Baylor Scheierman’s shooting struggles continue

Scheierman couldn’t find his offensive rhythm against L.A. and those woes continued vs. Charlotte.

The Celtics’ first-round pick (No. 30 overall) in the 2024 NBA Draft shot 3-for-10 from the floor and just 1-for-8 from 3-point range. He ended up with 12 points (5-8 FT), but this wasn’t the shooting performance the Creighton product hoped for after a rough Monday showing.

However, similar to the Lakers game, Scheierman was a difference-maker in other ways. He had six rebounds and made an impact defensively with two steals.

That’s encouraging, but there’s no doubt Scheierman hopes to snap out of his shooting funk on Friday vs. Dallas.

Jaelen House brings the energy

The C’s added Jaelen House, the son of ex-Celtics guard and NBC Sports Boston analyst Eddie House, to their Summer League roster last week. The undrafted guard hadn’t played much through Boston’s first two games, but he was given an opportunity to shine on Wednesday.

House was a spark plug for the C’s, who looked lackadaisical before stepping up in crunch time. The 23-year-old New Mexico product was at the center of Boston’s dominant fourth quarter, notching eight points with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in entertaining fashion.

House ended up playing 16 minutes in the C’s win. Boston could consider him for a spot on the G League roster this season.