Tag: Luka Samanic

Five Boston Celtics alumni on the move in 2019 NBA redraft

Five Celtics alumni ended up seeing their draft stock shift considerably with the benefit of hindsight lifting their fortunes.

With Hoops Hype’s Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon busy reassessing the draft orders of the last several decades over the last few years, there are always a number of Boston Celtics alumni on the move in their re-drafts as a result.

In the H/H duo’s reassessment of the NBA’s 2019 draft class, a total of five Celtics alumni ended up seeing their draft stock shift considerably with the benefit of hindsight lifting their fortunes. And while they won’t see any pay raises or anything else of that sort given the fictitious nature of such an exercise, it’s also nice to see this duo get their flowers, too.

Let’s take a look at which Boston alumni landed where.

Luka Samanic of Maine Celtics to sign 10-day deal with Jazz; Boston reportedly still looking to fill 15th roster spot

The Celtics will have one less prospect in Maine to consider signing with this news, but plans are reportedly still to fill the team’s open roster spot.

If the Boston Celtics were thinking about looking to the Maine Celtics to fill their open roster spot, they have one less prospect, according to reporting from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Maine power forward Luka Samanic is signing a 10-day deal with the Utah Jazz after a solid season with Boston’s G League affiliate.

The Croatian big man put up averages of 22 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1 steals per game with Maine in 2022-23 while shooting 33% from beyond the arc, 75.9% from the free-throw line and 48.4% from the floor overall.

The 6-foot-10 forward may be out of the running to join Boston’s roster with the call-up to the Jazz, but that doesn’t mean the Celtics’ search for the right player has ended, according to MassLive’s Brian Robb.

Per Robb, the Celtics plan to fill their open 15th roster spot ahead of the start of the postseason, but they need to find the right fit given the balance of expected playing time already on the team.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Luka Samanic gets 43 with Maine Celtics – potential option for Boston’s last roster spot?

Samanic shone in the loss, putting up 7 rebounds and 2 assists to go with 15-of-21 shooting from the floor, 5-of-8 efficiency beyond the arc, and a near-perfect 7-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe.

The Boston Celtics have yet to fill their final regular roster spot, but a standout performance from an affiliate player playing in Portland, Maine with the Maine Celtics in 6-foot-10 swingman Luka Samanic, who hung 43 points on the South Bay Lakers to help power Boston’s G League affiliate attempt at a comeback from an 18-point deficit at the half.

And while Maine lost to South Bay 129-128, Samanic shone in the loss, putting up 7 rebounds and 2 assists to go with 15-of-21 shooting from the floor, 5-of-8 efficiency beyond the arc, and a near-perfect 7-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe.

To see how the 6-foot-10 power forward has been playing for yourself, take a look at the clip we embedded above via the official YouTube Channel of the G League.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab mailbag overflow: Checking in on Derrick White, Luka Samanic, and what teams should blow it up

We picked a trio of non-Timelord questions relevant to a Celtics shooting guard’s marksmanship, a Maine Celtics affiliate player’s prospects, and an inquiry into what teams around the NBA ought to consider Bricking for Vic ™.

This week, the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast had an especially heavy mailbag, and to get to all of your excellent Boston Celtics and NBA questions, we decided to take a handful to an article format to get to more than the hosts Cameron Tabatabaie, Alex Goldberg, and Justin Quinn had time to cover on air given the superabundance of quality submissions we received, many of them focused on the return of Boston big man Robert Williams III.

We picked a trio of non-Timelord questions relevant to a Celtics shooting guard’s marksmanship, a Maine Celtics affiliate player’s prospects, and an inquiry into what teams around the NBA ought to consider Bricking for Vic ™.

So, without further ado, let’s jump into your questions — and our answers.

–oOo–

Maine Celtics’ Luka Samanic wins NBA G League Player of the Month for November

The accolades keep rolling in at every level of the organization this month.

The accolades for the month of November are rolling in for the Boston Celtics, and it’s begun to spread beyond the confines of the NBA itself, with Celtics affiliate player Luka Samanic — currently suiting up for the Maine Celtics, Boston’s Portland-based developmental affiliate — winning Player of the Month honors for November at the G League level per the team’s Instagram account.

The Maine Celtics have jumped out to an 8-2 start as one of the G League’s hottest ball clubs, and Samanic’s play is no small part of the reason for that hot start. Averaging 21.7 points and 11.4 rebounds, the 2022 Celtics camp invitee leads the G League in double-doubles with a total of nine already this season.

Samanic joins superstar forward Jayson Tatum as a player of the month at the NBA level, with Boston interim head coach Joe Mazzulla being tabbed for Coach of the Month honors as the parent club has also jumped out to a sizzling start with an 18-4 record behind Mazzulla’s coaching and Tatum’s MVP-caliber play.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Luka Samanic gets 35 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks with Maine Celtics

The 2022 Celtics camp invitee is showing out in Portland as an affiliate player for Boston.

While you, a fan of the Boston Celtics, may not have thought about 2022 Celtics training camp invitee Luka Samanic, the big man has been putting in work as an affiliate player for the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League development squad based in Portland.

And it has been paying off for the Croatian forward, who just had his best game of the season with Maine. Samanic put up an impressive 35 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 3 blocked shots in 31 minutes of play against the Delaware Bluecoats on Tuesday, shooting a red-hot 14-of-24 from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc while oddly going just 2-of-4 from the charity stripe.

If you want to get up to speed with how the Zagreb native has been playing, take a look at the clip embedded below courtesy of the G League YouTube Channel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Six Boston Celtics alumni ink new deals with G League teams

No longer seen as the land of outcasts it once was but as more of a viable path into — or back into — the NBA, players are also much better compensated for their play.

A number of former Boston Celtics training camp invitees and other alumni officially found new homes for the season in the NBA’s G League on various different ball clubs within it, per HoopsHype’s Alberto De Roa.

No longer seen as the land of outcasts it once was but as more of a viable path into — or back into — the NBA, players are also much better compensated for their play at the G League level than they once were, adding to the attraction while putting themselves in the developmental pipelines of Association ball clubs in ways playing overseas in Europe, China, or Australia can’t match.

Let’s take a look at who went where.

Report: After Samanic, Valentine, Reeves and Kissoonnlal Maine Celtics offers, Boston plans to add another player to G League affiliate

Having also signed several players to Exhibit-10 deals, the Celtics reportedly also plan to add another player to Maine’s roster.

The Boston Celtics have been making moves to finalize their regular-season roster ahead of the opener on Oct. 18 against the Philadelphia 76ers. Per reporting from the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, they have also been lining up players for their G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, for the 2022-23 campaign.

Per Himmelsbach, both Luka Samanic and Denzel Valentine are set to join the team’s Portland-based G League affiliate with a $50,000 bonus awaiting them if they spend at least 60 days with the Maine Celtics. Recently waived wing Brodric Thomas will not join the Maine Celtics; Boston does not hold his draft rights.

Having also added both Roxbury native AJ Reeves and big man Reggie Kissoonlal to Maine’s roster, the Celtics reportedly also plan to add another player via the Exhibit-10 contract that creates the $50,000 bonus for sticking with the team.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Boston Celtics to reportedly waive camp invitee Luka Samanic

The Croatian forward will reportedly play for the Maine Celtics this season.

With the news the Boston Celtics had signed former Providence College player AJ Reeves to a training camp deal came bad news for another player. The team needed to cut someone to make space on the maxed-out 20-man camp roster so Reeves could join.

That unlucky soul was forward Luka Samanic, who is expected to join the (Portland) Maine Celtics for the 2022-23 G League season, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. The Croatian forward struggled in his limited minutes playing for Boston, averaging just a point and 2.5 rebounds per game in preseason action with the Celtics in two appearances with the team.

The 6-foot-10 Zagreb native might yet latch on in the NBA with enough experience under his belt to get the game to slow down, given he averaged an impressive 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal with the Westchester Knicks last season.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Boston Celtics release FULL 2022-23 preseason roster

These are all 20 players who will be on the Celtics’ roster heading into preseason.

The Boston Celtics have officially released their full training camp roster for the 2022-23 NBA season, with the team currently at a total of 20 players on it — the maximum allowed in an offseason per league rules.

The league has Celtics preseason exhibition games scheduled against the Charlotte Hornets (Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1 pm ET and Friday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 pm ET) and the Toronto Raptors (Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 pm ET and Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 pm ET), with the last of the four friendlies scheduled to take place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as part of the NBA Canada series making a return.

Let’s take a look at all of the players who will be on Boston’s roster at the start of preseason play to kick off the month of October and a return to NBA basketball.