Miles Norris makes several splashes in Celtics' Summer League win over Lakers

Boston Globe

8 hours ago

The Celtics will play their final summer game either Saturday or Sunday before taking a 2½-month break until the beginning of training camp.
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Norris, a lanky 6-foot-7-inch swingman, has struggled at times offensively but is making an impact on defense and cutting to the rim for dunks. He said he's enjoyed his Celtics experience.
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A couple dimes & a dunk 😮‍💨
— Boston Celtics (@celtics)
'The whole organization, you know, it's been good to me,' said Norris, who added three rebounds, two steals, and a block in 21 minutes of play. 'Basketball has been enjoyable since I've been here, the environment has been great. So, you know, everyone's having fun. I'm having a lot of fun.
'It's good, I'm just trying to go out there and compete. I'm the two-way now, you know, trying to get work my way. Yeah, I've been enjoying it so far.'
Norris said the organization has told him to watch players such as Michael Porter Jr. and Obi Toppin closely as potential comparisons. The club envisions Norris as a 3-and-D player who can knock down corner triples. On Thursday, he flourished from rookie center Amari Williams's passing skills, who found him streaking from the baseline to the hoop.
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Norris was present for the Celtics' late-season surge and playoff run, learning from the veterans.
'The thing I noticed was the preparation, before the court, off the court, you know, guys taking care of their body,' he said. 'The real professionalism. That's the biggest thing I've seen from the veterans you know. JT (Jayson Tatum), JB (Jaylen Brown), Al (Horford), I [saw] Al every day (last season) working on his body.
'It's good to see guys you know, have that longevity, yeah, see how important it is. So I try to take some things from them every day, watch them every day. You know, Try to follow them.
Here's some other observations after Thursday night's game:
▪ Charles Bassey is no longer on the Celtics summer league roster. The former San Antonio Spurs big man signed a three-game summer contract with the Celtics and left the club to fulfill other commitments. Bassey played well enough to potentially earn a longer look, possibly a training camp contract. Whether he will be in Boston come September is uncertain.
Bassey was tied with Pelicans rookie Derik Queen for the Las Vegas Summer League rebounding lead with 11 per game. He also scored 15.3 points and shot 70.4 percent from the field in the three games. Bassey played three seasons with the Spurs and one with the 76ers, and is currently a free agent.
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The Celtics have a serious void in the paint with the losses of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet, and the likely departure of Horford to free agency. Backup Neemias Queta and two-way rookie Williams are the lone legitimate centers on the Celtics roster.
Bronny James (16 PTS) with the SMOOTH euro-step 😮‍💨
— NBA (@NBA)
▪ Bronny Fever is definitely rampant in Las Vegas. James, the son of superstar LeBron James, was cheered by the Thomas & Mack crowd the moment he hit the floor for pregame warmups.
James did not score in the first half but finished with 18 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. He had a couple of highlight and-1's in the third quarter, but also committed eight turnovers while playing point guard.
▪ Summer league injuries are terribly unfortunate, and Thursday's game was paused for several minutes in the second quarter when former Oklahoma City first-round pick Darius Bazley badly twisted his right knee on a drive for the Lakers. He stayed on the floor for several moments and could be heard groaning in pain.
While he was still on the floor, the Thomas & Mack game operations decided to replay the injury, and then the crowd groaned as Bazley remained in pain.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at