Monday, July 9, 2018

Semi Ojeleye, Guerschon Yabusele shine against the Hornets


The two Celtics players with the most NBA experience each put together their best efforts of the summer Monday night.

Semi Ojeleye and Guerschon Yabusele we on point against the Hornets in a 100-80 drought that closed out the final game of Boston's schedule before the start of the Summer League playoffs. Yabusele (14 points) and Ojeleye combined for 27 points on 11-of-20 shots.

Ojeleye shot 50 percent (5-for-10) from the floor as he displayed his 3-and-D skill set while connecting on a fade away trey and stifling defense. Yabusele did most of his damage in the paint, where he also cleaned the glass for eight rebounds.

Jabari Bird's scoring touch from Saturday's game carried over into Monday -- when he scored a game-high 16 points along with Jarrod Uthoff. Bird drained a pair from deep, and Uthoff also caught fire and knocked in three.

Bird also dished out five assists.

For Ojeleye, who made plays for others while collecting three assists, Monday's contest showed his flexibility. The second-year forward picked his spots when to score, distribute and make the right offensive plays in pick-and-roll sets.

Yabusele was on the receiving end for some of those sets. He finished strong around the rim and knew when to put the ball on the floor and attack his defender.

Yabu is approaching an important season. While he is under contract with the Celtics for at least one more year, he's going to have to fight for playing time along with guys like Al Horford, Aron Baynes, Marcus Morris, Daniel Theis, who are all coming back.

Not to mention the Celtics first-round pick Robert Williams is also in the mix to potentially grab Yabusele's minutes.



Josue Pavón




Photo used is courtesy of Getty Images

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