The Boston Celtics officially announced the team’s roster for the NBA’s 2024 Las Vegas Summer League, an important annual showcase for players looking to connect with teams and land a spot at training camp and beyond later in the year.
One name in particular could be worth monitoring among the 13 players headed to Sin City. Former Iowa Hawkeye Tyler Cook isn’t just an athletic forward who could give Boston some physicality in Las Vegas. Cook is also former high school teammates with All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum. The two played together at Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and Cook and Tatum helped lead the team to a state title as seniors in 2016. The duo have been reunited by the Celtics, however briefly, and Cook has a shot at rejoining his old teammate if he can impress in Las Vegas enough to earn a contract with Boston.
Celtics assistant general manager Austin Ainge spoke about what he hopes to see from Cook at summer league at a press conference held at the team’s practice facility in Boston Monday afternoon.
Ainge told Celtics Wire that the Celtics targeted Cook because of his unique blend of size and skill. There are a number of players on the roster with Cook’s build, but hopefully he can stand out with his touch.
“He’s physical,” Ainge explained. “He handles the ball very well for a big.”
Cook, 26, is listed as 6-foot-9 and has a strong build. During his three seasons with Iowa, he averaged 6.7 rebounds per game, and was a solid offensive player, too.
Shooting is not his forte, however, and so he will likely need to really impress on the glass in Las Vegas to land a spot with a team like the Celtics.
Ainge outlined that summer league is designed for players and teams to try and identify that potential for a mutually beneficial relationship. Many of the players will earn second looks either elsewhere in the NBA or the G League.
“With all these guys,” Ainge said. “We’re just trying to see, how can you help the Celtics? How can you help a team win? And our coaching staff is working hard to put them in those situations.”
Cook is no stranger to those trials. He went undrafted in 2019, and has had several brief stints around the NBA and G League. He even logged very limited postseason burn with the Denver Nuggets in 2020 as a deep bench player.
More recently, Cook played professionally in Australia and with Club Joventut Badolona in Spain. As such, the unknowns that come with playing for an NBA team’s summer league roster should not be unfamiliar.
Whether or not Cook lands with the Celtics is unclear. It’s extremely unlikely he joins Boston, but a strong showing in Las Vegas could be beneficial for getting a deal with the Maine Celtics, the team’s G League affiliate.
For now, another trip to Vegas is a stop for Cook on his basketball journey, and one that could loosely reunite him with Tatum. Summer league starts this Saturday (July 13) for the Celtics.
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