Getty Justin Jackson #44 of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Boston Celtics have three roster spots remaining. With training camp about a month away, there has been much speculation about who will take the last three spots. The team has recently signed Bruno Caboclo and Noah Vonleh, but they will be competing for a roster spot on the team with other training camp invitees. Brian Robb of MassLive was asked who he thinks will come victorious among the training camp invitees, to which he replied that he predicts Vonleh and NBA Champion Justin Jackson would make the cut.
“I would guess only two players get roster spots out of that group… I’d bet on Vonleh and Jackson out of that group, but it’s (a) toss-up and is also going to be about how they fit in the system during camp and how they perform. No one has a big edge going in.”
Jackson won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2020-21 season. He was also briefly on the Celtics during the 2021-22 season on a 10-day contract but only played one game against the Cleveland Cavaliers before the contract expired.
Jackson was originally drafted 15th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2017 NBA Draft, and has bounced around with the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Bucks, Celtics, and Phoenix Suns since then.
While the Celtics opted not to keep Jackson long-term, he left a good enough impression that they added him to their 2022 NBA Summer League roster.
Jackson’s Summer League Performance
In the three games that Jackson played for the Celtics during the 2022 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, he averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and three assists while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three-point land.
This included a stand-out performance against the Golden State Warriors, where he put up 24 points and three rebounds while hitting five three-pointers.
Jackson put up another impressive performance against the Memphis Grizzlies, where he put 16 points, three rebounds, and five assists.
On August 5, Jay King of The Athletic reported that Jackson, along with Brodric Thomas, were “viewed as strong candidates” to join the training camp roster.
There have been more reports since then detailing who will and who will not be invited to the Celtics’ training camp.
Other Training Camp Candidates
Robb later reported that former lottery pick Denzel Valentine, who played for the Celtics G-League affiliate last season, is a candidate to be signed to a training camp deal.
“Denzel Valentine is also a candidate to be signed as well per multiple reports after playing with the Maine Celtics last year.”
In the 12 games Valentine played for the Maine Celtics, he averaged 14.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and seven rebounds in 31.9 minutes a game. He also shot 44 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from three.
In that same report, Robb confirmed that Matt Ryan, who was signed to a two-way contract and also played for the Celtics’ Summer League team, would not be brought back by the team.
“A league source tells MassLive that Ryan is expected to resume his career elsewhere next season amid a roster crunch in Boston.”
Between Vonleh, Caboclo, and potentially Jackson and Valentine, the Celtics will have plenty of former first-round picks vying for a roster spot when training camp starts.