{"numbering":"asc","slides":[{"index":1,"title":"Bubble watch: Down to wire for Celtics’ final roster spot","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/10/20/boston-celtics-bubble-guys-2016.jpg","caption":"

BOSTON – The 11th hour is upon us in what’s shaping up to be a down-to-the-wire finish in terms of the Celtics getting their roster down to 15 players.

They currently have 20 players in camp, but Marcus Georges-Hunt, Jalen Jones and Damion Lee are locks to get waived and potentially wind up with Boston’s Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

So, that leaves 17 players, 16 of whom have fully guaranteed contracts for this season (former Providence star Ben Bentil is the lone exception).

Of the 16 who will get paid this season, regardless of what shakes down in Boston, only a handful are truly in the crosshairs of getting waived or traded.

We take one last look at how the race for the 15th roster spot is shaping up with the deadline being Monday at 5 p.m.

"},{"index":3,"title":"JORDAN MICKEY","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/10/20/boston-celtics-jordan-mickey-2-092216.jpg","caption":"

Preseason stats: 6.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.6 blocks per game.

Last game: 10 points, seven rebounds, two steals

The only reason I have Mickey on this list is because among the young players with team-friendly (read: cheap) contracts, Mickey seems one of the more likely players to be coveted by other teams via trade. He’s only 22 years old and has shown signs of being a solid pro prospect who can rebound, defend and blocked shots. But he’s not going to play much at all this season, not with the number of players ahead of him in the pecking order. Trading him to a team like the Los Angeles Clippers that could use more frontcourt depth or Memphis whose frontline is getting up there in age, could work out for both Boston and Mickey.

"},{"index":5,"title":"BEN BENTIL","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/10/20/boston-celtics-ben-bentil-102019.jpg","caption":"

Preseason stats: 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks per game

Last game: Eight points, six rebounds, four turnovers

A likely candidate to play with Boston’s D-League affiliate, Bentil saw enough action to where you can see why he’s a player viewed as having lots of potential that needs time to develop. He is expected to be among the players waived by Boston in the coming days. He will then have a tough decision to make as to whether to try and latch on with an overseas team or join the D-League Maine Red Claws. While his time with the Celtics will be over soon, Bentil’s time will come. He’s too talented a player not to get another shot at making an NBA team in the very near future.

"},{"index":7,"title":"GERALD GREEN","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/10/20/boston-celtics-gerald-green-092916.jpg","caption":"

Preseason stats: 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game

Last game: four points, three assists.

When he steps on the floor, Green has the green light to shoot at will. Look for him to begin the season with the Celtics and be in the rotation. But his future in Boston for the duration of this season will depend on whether he makes the kind of progress the Celtics feel good about going forward. Considering his skills and that he’s on a veteran’s minimum contract (one year, $1.4 million), Boston will be hard-pressed to find an adequate replacement for that money.

"},{"index":9,"title":"DEMETRIUS JACKSON","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/10/20/celtics_demetrius_jackson_101016.jpg","caption":"

Preseason stats: 5.3 points, 2.3 assists, one rebound per game

Last game: Four points, four assists.

In order for Jackson to be seriously considered as being waived, things would have had to go wrong on several fronts. Boston didn’t sign him to a multi-year deal with the first year guaranteed, to just waive him. He’s not going to play much this year, but we might see him take a Terry Rozier-like leap in terms of talent from Year One to Year Two.

"},{"index":11,"title":"JAMES YOUNG","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/10/20/celtics-james-young-101816.jpg","caption":"

Preseason stats: 5.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists

Last game: Eight points and seven rebounds

Training camp began with all signs pointing toward Young being the most likely player waived. To Young’s credit, he has played his best basketball to date the past couple of weeks by mainly doing the little things like boxing out, chasing down loose balls and contesting shots. Will that be enough to keep him off the chopping block? We will find out in the coming days for sure.

"},{"index":13,"title":"R.J. HUNTER","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/10/20/celtics-rj-hunter-100616.jpg","caption":"

Preseason stats: 7.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Last game: 12 points, four rebounds

He prides himself on being a late-bloomer, but he may have waited too long to get going on the floor. Even though he has scored in double figures two of the last three games, Hunter has still not gotten into the kind of shooting rhythm he would like. In the preseason he shot just 43.2 percent from the field and 29.2 percent on 3s. And as things stand now, Hunter appears more likely to get waived than being traded away

"}]}