When the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics finalized their 2024 Summer League roster, the team took a few flyers on a few little-known prospects, including one on pesky undersized guard Jaelen House.
Going undrafted out of the University of New Mexico this year, House, the son of ex-Celtics guard and 2008 NBA Finals champion Eddie House, aimed to carve out a role with the Summer League squad. So far, the 23-year-old has relied on his intangibles — mostly hustle — to make a good first impression with the Celtics, and its paid off.
“His energy’s great,” Celtics coach D.J. MacLeay said Friday night, per CLNS Media. “He’s awesome to have around and I think, just in general, he’s really, really taking on a role of trying to pressure the ball. And then I thought he did a good job of handling a massive load offensively today. Obviously, we’re down a couple of guards so he was the one with the ball in his hands a lot, getting us into stuff and organizing. So I thought he did a pretty good job of that considering he had to do all that.”
House was the only guard in Boston’s starting lineup during Friday night’s 101-90 Summer League loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Logging 32 minutes, House scored 18 points, albeit on an inefficient 7-for-19 shooting from the field, but did remain engaged and energetic throughout the contest. He tallied nine assists and grabbed two rebounds while remaining crafty and determined to find ways to score even when the shot wasn’t falling.
Finishing off a five-year collegiate career, which began at Arizona State, House averaged 15.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists, shooting 37.4% from the field and 32.8% from 3-point territory in 31 games. Defensively, House averaged 2.3 steals, utilizing his high motor that generates scoring opportunities for teammates.
House mentioned that his father, now an analyst for the Celtics, offered a few words of advice before getting the opportunity from Boston.
“Keep working hard, keep faith, stay patient,” House told reporters Wednesday, per CLNS Media. “I just love the game so much and I’m a competitor. I hate to lose so that’s really the main thing. I just hate to lose so I’m going to do everything in my power to win.”
Essentially, House has been the Las Vegas version of Payton Pritchard for the crew of Celtics draftees and training camp hopefuls (minus the 3-point touch). Whether or not House’s timely sparks will generate enough interest amongst Boston’s coaching staff to keep him on board remains to be unknown. However, for now, it’s fair to say House is making the most of his chances.
