HOUSTON — Celtics two-way contract player Tremont Waters has been named to the Midseason All-NBA G League team, an All-Star equivalent voted on by the league’s general managers and coaches. Waters, the 51st pick of last June’s draft, was named the G League player of the month in November, and he received two player of the week honors.
This season he is averaging 19.1 points, 7.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.4 steals for the Maine Red Claws.
“He’s really talented,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “He’s really good. I think there’s another level for him, and that’s going to be something that we’ve got to really work hard with him on. And because I think that when he gets here, there’s a different level of length. You’re playing against different guys 1-15 that he’s just not quite used to yet.
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“I thought we saw that a couple of times in the Atlanta games. But we think he’s really good. We think he’s got a bright, bright future. And he’s going to be in the NBA for a long time once he continues to grow. But he’s off to a great start.”
Brown plays on
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, who is dealing with two nagging ankle injuries, played in Tuesday’s game against Houston.
“[The training staff] thinks I can make it to the All-Star break,” Brown said. “That’s the goal. Then I get a period of rest. Recurring injuries are the worst, but I think I’ll be fine.”
Brown fell awkwardly in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Thunder and aggravated a right ankle sprain. Then when he returned to the game he twisted his left one. He limped out of the locker room after the game, raising questions about whether it might just be best to shut him down through the All-Star break.
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“When they tell me that he is not good to go, then I definitely won’t play him,” Stevens said. “If they tell me it’s bad for him in the future, we definitely won’t play him. There’s no in-between here.”
Tatum rolling
Jayson Tatum on Monday was named the Eastern Conference player of the week for the first time in his career.
“It’s cool,” he said. “I’m thankful for it. But it doesn’t change anything. It’s cool to be acknowledged. I’ve been playing well and we’ve been winning. Hopefully we can keep it up.”
Praise from coach
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni on Tuesday was asked about the strong play recently of Tatum and Brown.
“I thought they’ve played good no matter what the time is,” he said. “They’re both improved young guys that are really great players. They just keep getting better, if that’s possible. It’s really good for the NBA. They’ve got a nice future. They’re good, really good.”
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.