LAS VEGAS — The NBA Summer League season ended Friday for the Boston Celtics, and the team has a looming numbers problem.

Roster spots are rarer than ever, and now rookie power forward Guerschon Yabusele put together a promising summer. But he likely will spend another year in Europe.

The Celtics never have come out of the summer league with this many draft picks – six, including one (Jaylen Brown) who has a chance to crack the rotation in his rookie year. Other first-rounders Yabusele and 7-footer Ante Zizic, who already has committed to another year with his Adriatic League team, are intriguing prospects.

Signing any of their picks and assigning them to the Maine Red Claws would consume a valuable roster spot. The Celtics probably will copy San Antonio in terms of the number of players stashed overseas this year.

Marcus Thornton, a second-round pick last year, already has spent a year in Australia. The team also still has the rights to Colton Iverson, who is about to begin his fourth European season, and has reached a level where his Turkish league salary is better than anything he can get by returning.

But of this year’s second-rounders, rookie forward Abdel Nader, truly has given management something to think about as a Maine possibility. Over seven games he has shot 33 percent from 3-point range and averaged 9.1 points.

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During Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland, the 6-foot-7 small forward from Iowa State pulled up for a pair of smooth 3-pointers from the top of the circle. Celtics assistant coach Jamie Young believes Nader has legitimate NBA 3-point range.

“I think his range is real. He’s shown this whole time that he can hit that,” said Young, who coached the summer league team in Las Vegas. “He’s absolutely good enough to take the next step.”

The league’s trend toward smaller lineups and forwards who can space the floor bodes well for Nader. He’s a new age kind of player. If he can guard multiple positions, then he’ll be in business.

“Yeah. I think I can do that, and the league is headed in that direction if it’s not already there,” said Nader.

“It’s definitely a confidence builder for myself. … I can shoot the ball at a high clip and I can defend multiple perimeter spots. I want to be a two-way player.”

But right now he’s also in a crowd that also includes fellow second-round picks Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil.

Yes, it can be tough to get noticed.


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