Who is Miles Norris? 3 things to know about newest Boston Celtics forward

Atlanta Hawks forward Miles Norris (0) drives the ball against Washington Wizards forward Taylor Funk (21) during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game Friday, July 12, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)AP

The Celtics are in the middle of another contending season, but that didn’t stop the front office from tinkering with the margins of their roster. They waived second-round pick Anton Watson from his two-way deal Sunday, quickly filling that spot by signing former Memphis Hustle forward Miles Norris a few hours later.

Watson was picked 54th overall by the Celtics in last year’s draft, signing him to a two-way deal for his rookie season. But the Gonzaga product didn’t pan out as the C’s instead elected to go a different direction with their third and final two-way slot.

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Enter Norris, who had been playing in Memphis this season. While teams use two-way slots for development, the Celtics have had success getting production from some of their guys. Sam Hauser started on a two-way contract as an undrafted rookie. Neemias Queta was signed to a two-way deal from Sacramento and now he’s a solid backup big man. Drew Peterson has gotten spot minutes throughout this season.

So while Norris might not make much noise for the C’s this season, the front office is looking at him from a long-term view. Here are three things to know about Norris as he joins the Celtics organization.

The basics

Norris, 24, has a little bit of New England ties. He played for Brewster Academy in New Hampshire for his senior season in high school, though he spent most of his prep career in California.

Norris bounced around during his collegiate career, though he started off with the Oregon Ducks as a freshman in 2018-19. After that one year, he transferred to City College of San Francisco for his sophomore year. Then, finally, he transferred one last time to finish off his college career at UC Santa Barbara.

Norris was a consistent starter for the Gauchos for three seasons from 2020-23. He was named second-team All-Big West in 2023 to finish out his college career. As a senior, he averaged 14.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for a UC Santa Barbara squad that made it to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed.

His game

Norris started his NBA career with the Hawks after going undrafted in 2023. While he didn’t appear in an NBA game, he played in 45 total games with the College Park Skyhawks. Norris also signed with Cagdas Bodrumspor in Turkey back in April 2024.

Finally, Norris spent this season with the Memphis Hustle, where he appeared in 36 total games. This year, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 30.6 minutes per game for the Hustle. Notably, he also knocked down 38.5% of his 3-pointers on 8.6 attempts per game. That’s likely what the Celtics noticed considering their style of play. At 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, Norris also brings solid size at the wing position.

Familiar face

In a fun twist, Norris was teammates with current Celtics guard Payton Pritchard for the 2018-19 season at Oregon. That was Norris’ freshman year where he appeared in 27 games for the Ducks, averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game.

The Ducks had a solid season, winning the Pac-12 tournament and making a Sweet 16. They were a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, upsetting No. 5-seeded Wisconsin in the first round then beating No. 13-seeded UC Irvine in the second round.

The 2018-19 season was Pritchard’s junior year at Oregon. He saw his averages dip that year, averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Pritchard returned for one last season with the Ducks before he was drafted in the first round by the Celtics in the 2020 draft.