Summer earnings
Bird could fly coop after strong showing in Vegas
LAS VEGAS — There’s a lot of players out there hungering for a two-way contract, and to hear Danny Ainge tell it, the team is uncertain about whether Jabari Bird will come back in that capacity for a second year.
“Still in the works,” said Ainge, president of basketball operations for the Celtics, on Monday. “We’re evaluating the basketball world. There’s a lot of players out there.”
Whether Bird’s future leads back to the Celtics, or a better deal somewhere else, the restricted free agent is confident his best was on display during the just completed NBA Summer League.
“I think I made a statement, and it should elevate me from a two-way player to potentially a full-time roster guy,” Bird said of what the Celtics probably can’t offer and what another team could, a roster spot without DLeague ties. “We’ll see. Either way I had fun out here.”
Bird was an offensive star in his four-game stint, including one 24-point performance. He led the Celts in scoring (16.5 average), and showed a great ability to get to the rim and finish, often with an athletic flair that entertained the Las Vegas crowd.
Being restricted, Bird understands that his market still needs time to develop, though the summer-league showcase clearly helped his exposure.
“My agent is doing this for me, and whatever happens, happens,” Bird said of veteran agent Aaron Goodwin. “I look forward to hopefully being a Celtic next year, and my plan is to get back to Boston as soon as possible.”
Bird is happy with the blinders approach he applied to his 10-plus days with the Celtics’ summer-league team.
“Really just being patient with it, let my game speak for itself and do the work for me,” he said. “If I went out there thinking about it too much, then I wouldn’t have performed the way I did. I think I had a strong summer league in the games I played.”
Asked about any early offers, he said, “Not that I’ve heard. Obviously I think I’ll have interest from a few teams, but nothing concrete yet.”
Bird certainly earned the respect of his summer league coach.
“I thought he played great,” said Jay Larranaga. “Probably the most extended time I’ve had a chance to be around him and watch him play, and see him in a more prominent role than he’s been with us. He was able to create off the pickand-roll, which I didn’t know he was as good at. We know how he finishes at the rim.”
Bird’s main challenge, according to Larranaga, will come at the other end of the floor.
“His whole thing is going to be defensively,” he said. “Can he guard his man one-on-one, can he get through screens, can he stay tight with our coverages. If he does that, I think he has a bright future.
“The thing I like is not about his shot. He’s a consistent worker. He’s playing all facets of the game right now. He’s playing pick-and-roll, he’s attacking the rim, he’s taking the (3-pointer) when it’s given to him, he’s cutting. Everybody here at summer league has to be impressed with how he’s playing. He just has to continue to do it. I think he will because he works every day.”
Though he aspires to something better now, Bird was admittedly helped by the time he split between the Celtics and Red Claws last season. He made the most of his opportunity with the Celts late in the season, highlighted by a 15-point performance against Chicago April 6.
“I think it worked out great for me because a lot of guys drafted in my position go to the (G League) for the whole year and don’t get a chance to be called up,” said Bird. “To have the opportunity as a late second-round pick and get some NBA experience helped my game a lot.
“I’m 100 percent healthy (from back issues). In Maine, I wasn’t on top of it, but now I’m aware of what I didn’t do in the past, and I’m constantly keeping heat on it. Constantly stretching and staying loose. I don’t want any more rehabs. Staying healthy has always been my Achilles’ heel, staying on the floor consistently.
“When I’m on the floor I’m as good as anybody. If I can stay healthy I’ll be fine.”