The Boston Celtics roster for opening day shrunk by three spots on Thursday as three players were waived, according to the Boston Herald’s Zach Cox. The roster moves add to a previous waive of a fourth player earlier in the week. The Celtics are just five days out from the NBA regular season tip-off. Their roster is as close to finalized as it will be. It’s not all bad news for the waived players, though, as they still have a chance to play in the G-League, if not the NBA.
Boston Celtics Roster Tightening After Shedding Three Players
Ron Harper Jr., Jay Scrubb, Hason Ward—Waived
This week saw the Boston Celtics roster drop four players in total from their preseason roster. Those players are Dymtro Skapintsev (waived on Wednesday), Jay Scrubb, Hason Ward, and Ron Harper Jr. Harper Jr. is the son of former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers 5x NBA Champion Ron Harper Sr.
Ward was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal and was subsequently waived the following day. The former Iowa State collegiate forward was joined by Harper and Scrubb, who were also waived on Thursday. Where the three players in question find themselves on their NBA journey in the future is yet to be determined. However, the G-League will most likely call for them. The waiver moves likely mean Ward, Harper, and Scrubb will be added to Boston’s G-League squad, the Maine Celtics. It is also perceivable that Skapintsev will wind up in Maine as well.
Harper, along with Skapintsev, were the only players of the bunch to see any preseason playing time with the Celtics. Harper appeared in three games. As for Scrubb, who played guard at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois, he came into the preseason on an Exhibit 10 deal and had recovered from an ACL tear suffered a year ago. Yet, he didn’t see any floor action during the preseason. Many predict the Boston Celtics will repeat as NBA champions this season. So, guaranteeing that any of these waived players will be called up from the G-League might be a long shot. The Celtics will be in an all-out competitive, winning mode 1 through 82. The good thing for Ward, Harper, Skapintsev, and Scrubb is the potential to remain within the organization, provided that falls within Boston’s overall plans for them.
Best Roster in the League?
As of today, the Celtics roster appears set, minus their central off-season acquisition, Lonnie Walker IV. If the Celtics move forward with a fully equipped 15-man roster, that will likely mean Walker’s presence there is set. However, Boston has not yet confirmed this. Remember, Walker’s initial signing was an Exhibit 10 deal, which was later turned into a regular contract. Walker is a proven role player and played well in the minutes he was given with the Lakers in his one season there. For his career, he shoots 35.6% from three. If the Celtics have no use for that, another team should.
Regardless, the Celtics might have the best roster all around. If you ask Stan Van Gundy, former NBA coach-turned-TNT game broadcaster, they absolutely do, at least in their starting five ranks (let’s pretend for a moment there are no current injuries). He might be right—Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and either Derrick White or Al Horford. That reads like a top-notch, unbeatable starting five lineup. Not to mention, the Celtics have solid depth at their disposal.
