Taylor Snow?@taylorcsnow
Team Reporter
October 16, 20225:28 PM EDT

Over the past three weeks, Justin Jackson and Noah Vonleh battled among a handful of Celtics training camp invitees over Boston’s two remaining roster spots. Their determination paid off, as they both made the final cut just ahead of Tuesday’s season-opener against Philadelphia.

Jackson, a 6-foot-8 forward with five years of NBA experience, gives Boston some added depth at the wing. The former 15th overall pick scored 26 points in 52 preseason minutes, which included 16 points off the bench on Oct. 7 in a 112-103 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Vonleh, a 6-foot-10 power forward/center with seven NBA seasons under his belt, brings a strong rebounding presence to Boston’s frontcourt, which should help during Rob Williams’ injury absence at the start of the season.  The Boston-area native and former ninth overall pick tallied 29-points and a team-high 29 rebounds in 56 preseason minutes while he shooting 85.7 percent from the field, which ranked second in the league behind Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton (88.9 percent). His best performance also came during that win over the Hornets when he logged a double-double of 14 points and 13 boards.

Both veterans believe that their respective skill sets will allow them to fit right into the Celtics’ system, as they proved throughout the past few weeks.

“For me,” said Jackson, “it’s just kind of being a floor spacer offensively, being able to shoot, play off close-outs. And then defensively, just trying to use my height, my length to hopefully guard some different positions. They like to switch a lot here, and so there's really no position, guarding-wise, because you end up guarding everybody.”

Vonleh also prides himself on being able to guard several positions, which is a beneficial skill to have while playing for a switch-heavy team.

“You see, the whole league is based on versatility,” Vonleh said. “A lot of guys are switching, teams are going 1-5, so we’ll start off with the 5-man being in drop sometimes, but as the game goes on, we’ll start switching 1-5 and I feel like I’m one of those guys that can incorporate well into that.”

Beyond that, Vonleh says, “Just coming in, doing my work, screening, getting guys open, playing with a lot of energy, rolling, putting a lot of pressure on the rim, and rebounding. I feel like I can be one of the best rebounders on the team, so just got to get on that glass.”

Both players already have solid grasp on the ins and outs of Celtics basketball because they both have previous ties to the organization.

Growing up in Salem and Haverhill, Massachusetts, Vonleh has always kept a close watch on his hometown team.  As for Jackson, he briefly played for the Celtics last December on a 10-day contract while the team was dealing with a plethora of COVID-related absences.

“I got to kind of get to know the coaching staff, most of the players, kind of hang around and see what they had going on,” Jackson recalls of last year’s stint in Boston. “And obviously, after I left, they just got better and better. So for me, it's just coming in here and enjoying the time with these guys, trying to push them each and every day, and push myself and just try to get better.”

After pushing themselves over the past few weeks, both Jackson and Vonleh can finally let out a celebratory breath of relief before getting back to work.

“It was a lot of hard work that went into it,” Jackson said of making the team. “It definitely feels gratifying to see that hard work turn into somewhat of a reward.”