The Boston Celtics took care of all premier members of the team's championship-winning roster, and have officially done the same for both rookies selected in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Boston announced Friday its two-way agreement with Anton Watson, the 54th overall pick from June's draft. Watson spent five seasons at Gonzaga where the 6-foot-8 prospect averaged 14.5 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 57.8% from the field in 2023-24. Watson's defensive versatility came into play once the 23-year-old was called upon in Boston's Summer League campaign, which left the Bulldogs product with a good first impression of what to expect from NBA basketball.
"I felt good overall," Watson said after Summer League concluded, per CLNS Media. "The whole Summer League just kind of seeing how it feels and playing at this level of pace, the strength you gotta have and just felt good overall. I felt like I played good."
Waston made five appearances in Las Vegas, averaging 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds. He was notably engaged on both ends of the floor, and showed flashes of athleticism. By staying constantly in motion with Boston's ball-handlers, Watson created openings for easy-to-the-basket feeds while also showcasing the ability to knock down shots from 3-point territory. That alone might not earn Watson an end-of-the-bench roster spot with the Celtics, however, the team's G League affiliate in Maine should provide plenty of opportunity for Watson to fine-tune his game for whenever Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla does feel the need to utilize him -- perhaps even this upcoming season.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who elected to select two 23-year-old prospects (Baylor Scheierman included), wasn't discouraged by Watson's age. Stevens made it clear that Boston would only utilize its selections to welcome in a new prospect only if the organization was confident and comfortable with who was available once the Celtics found themselves on the clock.
"First of all, I think guys are playing longer," Stevens said following the draft at Auerbach Center. "So 23 and 24 is still young in the big picture of things. I think that both of those guys have shown good growth throughout their careers and so you would anticipate they would continue to grow."
