Celtics roster evaluation, Part 1: Reviewing the bottom half heading into the offseason

Boston Globe

21-05-2025

He'll turn 25 in September, so there might not be a long runway for growth, but Scheierman showed enough late in the season for the Celtics to feel good about his potential if they trade
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Jordan Walsh
— Early in the season it appeared that Walsh would have a chance to claim a spot at the end of coach Joe Mazzulla's regular rotation. The Celtics remain encouraged by the second-year wing's defensive versatility, but his shooting remains a liability.
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Walsh attempted 55 3-pointers during the regular season, and no defender was closer than 4 feet to him on any of them. He was 1 for 13 with a defender between 4-6 feet, and 14 for 42 with no defender within 6. He finished the season shooting 27.3 percent from beyond the arc. He also was just 3 for 10 on paint shots outside of the restricted area.
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Jordan Walsh's cold shooting limited his opportunities.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Walsh is a hard worker and eager learner, and he just turned 21 in March, so he could still take a leap. He would certainly benefit from another year of summer league.
Neemias Queta
— Queta filled in admirably with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined until late November because of offseason foot surgery. Queta's length caused problems for opponents, as evidenced by him holding shooters 5.9 percentage points below their season averages within 6 feet of the basket.
Queta averaged 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes, but his offensive rebounding percentage dipped from 15.7 to 10.5. Luke Kornet and Queta mostly split time while Porzingis was out, but Kornet clearly became the more valuable option as the season progressed.
Center Neemias Queta averaged 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes on the floor.
Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Torrey Craig
— The
It never materialized. The Celtics were 15.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Craig on the floor during the regular season, and the 34-year-old shot just 29 percent from the 3-point line.
It raised some eyebrows when Craig was inserted early in
Xavier Tillman
— It was an odd season for Tillman, who will always be remembered for his big 3-pointer in the
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Xavier Tillman came up big in Game 3 of last year's NBA Finals against the Mavericks.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
He battled knee pain for much of the season and simply wasn't impactful during his brief stints. Tillman made just 13 of 53 shots (24.5 percent) during the regular season.
JD Davison
— Davison was a three-year, two-way contract player with the Celtics— the maximum allowed —before having his deal converted to a standard NBA contract near season's end.
Drew Peterson
— The No. 1 option among the team's two-way contract players. He
It was a tiny sample size, and plenty of his chances took place in garbage time, but the Celtics' plus-12.8 net rating with Peterson on the court was second best on the team.
Six-foot-9-inch shooters have value, and if the Celtics end up cleaning house there is a world where Peterson could latch on as an end-of-bench piece. He is also eligible to spend one more year on a two-way contract.
Miles Norris
— Norris, 25, appeared in just three games after
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Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at