Big man Noah Vonleh has made the Celtics‘ regular season roster, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), Vonleh’s contract will be non-guaranteed until January, so he’ll be paid on per-day basis until then.
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported on Thursday that Vonleh appeared to be a safe bet for the 14th spot on the standard roster after a strong showing during preseason.
The ninth overall pick of the 2014 draft, Vonleh is a well-traveled veteran, having previously played for seven NBA teams in seven seasons from 2014-2021. He spent last season in China.
The Celtics have waived veteran forward Jake Layman and guard Eric Demers, sources tell Keith Smith of CelticsBlog and Spotrac (Twitter links) Boston has also signed wing Marial Shayok, according to Smith, though he will almost certainly be waived soon.
It’s unclear if forward Justin Jackson has made Boston’s roster, but we should find out shortly. The veteran has been vying for the 15th roster spot along with Layman and possibly Mfiondu Kabengele, though Kabengele is already on a two-way contract.
A second-round pick in 2016, Layman has appeared in 243 regular season games across six NBA seasons in Portland and Minnesota. In total, the former Maryland forward – who is a Massachusetts native – has averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .460/.300/.719 shooting in 12.8 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career.
Layman was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, so if he clears waivers, he could receive a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate. Demers is another Massachusetts native who played for Maine least season and could be in line for the same bonus.
Shayok was the 54th overall pick of the 2019 draft by the Sixers, making four appearances with the club on a two-way deal. He spent most of his rookie season with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. Shayok has played for Turkish clubs the past two seasons.
Celtics have now had 4 of the top 10 picks in the 2014 draft play for them….
Vonleh is just above terrible
He will be gone in January.
Good for Vonleh. Happy to see him get a spot b/c I’ve thought he was surprisingly left out of the league the last couple of years, and should have played more the year before that too. Wasnt sure he would get a spot there b/c of Kabengele, but the injury to Williams helped him there, and they still were able to also keep Jackson and Kabengele, as expected