NBA Players Who Started at the Maine Celtics

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The Maine Celtics, the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s best Boston Celtics have been consistently churning out quality NBA players over the past few years. Notable NBA players from Maine include Boston Celtics backup center Luke Kornet, and now Utah Jazz forward Luka Samanic.

The group of Jordan Walsh, DJ Steward, and JD Davison appear to be at the top of the next crop of NBA talent to come through the Maine Celtics. Many prestigious sportsbooks were featuring prop bets for this young trio, all aged 22 or younger.

Kornet Impacting Boston’s Successful Season

After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft, Luke Kornet spent two seasons between the New York Knicks and their G-League affiliate Westchester Knicks. After a stint with the Bulls, the 7’1 center found his way to the Celtics by way of a three-team trade in 2021.

He was waived by Boston but signed with Maine just a week later. He played ten games with the team, averaging 11.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game in 27.4 minutes. This play earned him a pair of 10-day contracts with the Cavaliers and Bucks, before heading back to Maine in early 2022.

He was quickly promoted to Boston’s roster and has been a mainstay in the rotation ever since. This season, Kornet has had a huge impact off the bench for the 64-18 Celtics. According to the NBA stats, he played over 15 minutes a game, averaging 5.3 points on 70% from the field to go along with 4.1 rebounds and one block. Kornet is still entrenched in Boston’s playoff rotation, averaging 12.5 minutes a night as they are headed to the Eastern Conference Final.

Luka Samanic Goes to Utah from Maine

After being drafted 19th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in 2019, Samanic spent two seasons with the team, bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G-League. He too signed with New York and played for Westchester in 2021-2022.

After being signed and waived by Boston in 2022, the 6 '10, 24-year-old spent 17 games with the Maine Celtics in the 2022-2023 season. He played nearly 30 minutes a night, averaging a double-double with 20.6 points and 10.8 rebounds.

The Utah Jazz picked up Samanic in March of 2023 and signed him to a two-year deal. This past season, he featured in a career-high 43 games, and even got seven starts, averaging 4.1 points per game for the developing Jazz. He is now a UFA, and available to be picked up by any team looking to add forward versatility.

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