Ron Harper Jr. Surprises Celtics With Game 7 Start

ron harper Jr. drew a surprise Game 7 start for the Celtics and handled the opportunity well. Boston’s season ended with Joel Embiid and seventh-seeded Philadelphia winning three straight to erase a 3-1 series lead, but Harper’s night stood out for a different reason: he looked like a usable part of the roster picture.

Ron Harper Jr. and Boston

Harper carried a $2.6 million team option, which puts him among several low-salary Celtics who could shape next season’s roster. That group also includes Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, Dalano Banton, Max Shulga and Amari Williams, with Boston likely to pick up Queta’s $2.7 million option and Walsh’s $2.4 million option.

The Celtics are below the first apron, the second apron and the luxury-tax threshold, so they do not face the same roster pressure that forced deeper changes last offseason. Brad Stevens still has flexibility, and Harper’s Game 7 start gave the front office one more look at a player who costs little compared with the team’s higher-end options.

Joel Embiid Ends Boston Run

That look came against the backdrop of a collapse that defined the end of the season. Boston became the first team in franchise history to cough up a 3-1 series lead, and Philadelphia closed the door by taking three in a row behind Embiid.

The result leaves the Celtics sorting through a roster that already includes the Nos. 27 and 40 picks in next month’s draft, plus Nikola Vucevic as their lone unrestricted free agent. Harper’s start does not settle anything by itself, but it does put his name on the short list of inexpensive pieces Boston can keep in place without reshaping everything again.