Marcus Smart got injured by trying to break a fall with his hand in the first round of the Summer League playoffs in Las Vegas, and wasn't available in the final one and a half game that the team played.
And although the injury (two dislocated fingers) will keep him out for a while, there is also a silver lining. Without a dominating Smart, the Boston Celtics rookies plus James Young had to figure out how to win on their own.
It's fair to say that they passed the test, even though they got beaten by a buzzer beater in the quarterfinal against the San Antonio Spurs.
Most teams that make it to the final rounds of Summer League are dominated by "veterans," either NBA sophomores or free agents, while NBA rookies rarely have what it takes to actually win games, even at this level. So for the Celtics to make it that far mostly based on the performances of rookies and an almost rookie in Young, should be encouraging.
The takeaways from Summer League:
Smart probably shouldn't have played in Las Vegas
After Marcus Smart proved in the Utah Summer League games that he is able to take over at this level, the Celtics should probably have benched him in Las Vegas. That might have been the early plan, since Phil Pressey was supposed to join the team, but never got the chance to play.
According to GM Danny Ainge that was to protect Pressey, so he wouldn't risk an injury before he became a free agent, when the Celtics waived him last Thursday. The secondary plan was probably to use Marcus Thornton as a playmaker, but he wasn't ready for that role.
For Smart, the injury means that he won't be going with coach Brad Stevens and teammate Evan Turner to the first NBA Showcase in Africa.
A dislocated finger might have some lingering effects, but there is no reason why he shouldn't be ready for training camp.
Terry Rozier still needs to prove that he wasn't that big a reach
Terry Rozier had a stretch of four really good games, where the Celtics came out on top in each of them. And in the two knockout games, he showed his qualities in the clutch. He is definitely not afraid of the big moments, something Danny Ainge has mentioned as an important trait in a player.
Rozier also showed tenacious defense, even though much of it comes from effort rather than good instincts and habits.
He will still have to convince the Celtics fans that his pick was justified, considering that players such as Justin Anderson and Bobby Portis were still available.
R.J. Hunter is much more than a three point shooter
Two players besides Smart stood above the rest after Summer League, R.J. Hunter and Jordan Mickey. Both were pleasant surprises for most people in different ways.
Hunter had a timid start in the first two games in Utah, but the rest of the way he showed his almost unlimited shooting range, which is something that could get him minutes on many NBA teams. But what will keep him on the floor is the rest of his game.
First of all, he wasn't a liability on defense, even though he needs to add some strength to his wiry body. He showed excellent instinct for positioning, and just seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Although he only averaged 1.8 assists per game, Hunter also proved that he can be a playmaker for himself and others.
Something that probably won't translate to the NBA – at least at first - is his ability to get to the foul line. In the last six games, he had 43 free-throw attempts, hitting 90.6 percent of them.
Jordan Mickey will make the team
Drafted at 33 there was no guaranteed spot for Jordan Mickey, but today he reached an agreement with the Celtics on a four-year deal at $5 million, according to RealGM.com.
Based on his performance in the Summer League games, that deal was a no-brainer for the Celtics. Mickey even worked his way into NBA.com's Rookie Ladder at the sixth spot.
Mickey came with the advertised strong defense, including rebounding and shot blocking. And on offense, he played within himself with a healthy 52.6 percent from the field. He even showed a very effective mid-range jumper.
Marcus Thornton will be stashed away
With an already overfilled roster, there is about zero chance that Marcus Thornton will make the team. And he didn't exactly improve his chances during Summer League.
He had one good game against Miami in the Utah Summer League, but in Las Vegas his stints were short and unsuccessful. He failed as a playmaker, delivering zero assists in the last five games, and his shot didn't fall like it did in Utah, as he made only two of 16 shots in Vegas.
He is still an interesting prospect due to his incredible athleticism and speed, but he might need to develop either in the D-League or overseas.
James Young has improved, but probably not enough to make an impact
Young came into Summer League with some expectations on his shoulders. He was supposedly physically stronger than ever, adding 20 pounds of muscles over the last year and with a changed attitude.
Last season Young showed his nice shooting stroke in the D-League for the Maine Red Claws and a few times playing for the Celtics. But when he played for Boston he often looked timid on offense, just taking a spot and waiting for plays to happen, and on defense, he often got lost while watching the ball rather than his man.
He hasn't fully grown out of those bad habits, but there was improvement.
On defense it looked more like poor decision making, when he got beat, rather than bad focus. This is a huge step forward and should help him become a much better defender if he keeps practicing.
Offensively, he tried not to rely so much on his three-point shooting, but failed scoring on his drives. He did get to the free-throw line quite often, though, which should be seen as a positive.
Overall it was a so-so performance, but with signs that Young is moving in the right direction, he is still the youngest player on the team, and he is probably still growing and maturing.
Jonathan Holmes looks like an NBA player
Jonathan Holmes was projected to go as early as the late first round in some mock drafts, but ended up undrafted and joined the Celtics on a summer contract that probably will lead to a camp invite unless another team snags him.
Holmes is able to both play in the post and hit three pointers, and that versatility makes him very interesting for the Celtics. The problem is that they already re-signed Jonas Jerebko, are going to sign Mickey, have signed Amir Johnson, and are going to trade for David Lee.
So unless the Celtics are able to pull off a trade or two, it will be very hard to find a roster spot for Holmes. But letting him go could clearly be a mistake.
Boston's best hope is probably that he joins them in training camp, and from there they can make him a designated player with the Maine Red Claws, since they are the Celtics' D-League affiliate team. And when a roster spot opens up in Boston, he could join them.
All in all, the players who are likely to play for the Celtics this season made a very good impression in Summer League.