fb-pixel Skip to main content
CELTICS NOTEBOOK

Kemba Walker’s new teammates can’t wait to play with him

Kemba Walker was all smiles when he arrived at the Auerbach Center with Danny Ainge on Monday.Jim Davis/Globe Staff/Globe Staff

Kemba Walker arrived at the Auerbach Center on Sunday evening and finalized his four-year, $141 million maximum contract with the Celtics. According to a league source, Walker made it clear during the meeting that he was eager to help build a championship contender in Boston.

He was wowed by the team’s sparkling practice facility, and even took some food from the in-house kitchen home to his hotel after a long and busy night. Walker also had a chance to briefly meet some of the Celtics draft picks who were in the building.

Rookie forward Grant Williams, who is from Charlotte, said Walker worked out at his old high school a few times when he played for the Hornets. He briefly met him on Sunday.

Advertisement



“You see how he plays off the pick and roll. You see how dynamic of a point guard he is. It’s really exciting to see him play,” Williams said.

He added: “Just seeing how talented of a guard he is putting the ball in the basket and seeing him play with guys that really love to play the game and play the game the right way here would be even more exciting. So I’m excited to get to the first practice.”

When the Celtics faced the Hornets last March, second-year big man Robert Williams got an up-close look at Walker’s talents when Walker’s crossover dribble made him stumble. The clip went viral.

“I love Kemba,” Robert Williams said. “I love his diversity, I love him being able to play without a screen . . . I feel like I just have to study a couple of film sessions on him, learn where he likes to attack, what his moves are, just adjust to him.”

Langford does light drills

Celtics first-round pick Romeo Langford, who is still recovering from surgery to repair ligament damage in his right thumb, did not take part in any of the live portions of Monday’s summer league practice.

Advertisement



Celtics assistant coach Scott Morrison said that Langford has completed some light drills that keep his thumb out of harm’s way.

“As far as I know, for the next week or two it’s going to be very light,” Morrison said. “But the goal is to make sure that he is aware of everything that we’re doing so when he comes back in August or September or whenever that is, he has a head start on our system, our terminology, the guys he’s going to be playing with. In the meantime, improving his skill as much as we can within the confines of his rehabilitation.”

A good fit for Fall

The Celtics’ acquisition of the 7-foot-6-inch center Tacko Fall was one of the more intriguing undrafted free agent signings of this summer. Fall, a former Central Florida standout, said he decided to join Boston in large part because of the opportunity.

“[This is] somewhere I can go where I fit in right away, somewhere I can go where I know they really want me,” Fall said. “I feel I had all of that here in Boston, and it was a matter of just coming here and going to work.”


Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.