LAS VEGAS — Kenneth Lofton Jr. has made at least a notable name for himself in NBA circles. After all, he put up 42 points and 14 rebounds in the lone start of his NBA career. But the big man couldn’t quite stick in the league, which led to him playing for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association last season.

But Lofton is back stateside as he’s looking for his next NBA opportunity, playing for the Celtics in Summer League. He also came back with some hardware as he was named the CBA International MVP for the 2024-25 season, averaging 25.2 points, 12.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.

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“Felt like I got better,” Lofton said of his year in China. “Came up with a lot of new things to develop in my game. Minutes-wise, I was playing the whole game. I was in shape obviously. Just competing with other players. Playing my game, playing my style and looking to win games for my team.”

Lofton has played in all three games for the Summer C’s thus far, putting up 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 17.9 minutes per game. The Celtics have featured some of their other bigs, so he hasn’t been playing heavy minutes like he did in China.

It’s clear Lofton has an offensively-gifted game with his size. He’s directed traffic with the ball in his hands, telling his teammates where he wanted them to cut. But it’s defensively that’s the main question. Lofton is a big dude listed at 275 pounds, but he gives up height at 6-foot-6. So matching up against taller bigs is a consistent challenge.

“I’ve been doing it my whole life,” Lofton said. “6-6, 6-7, I’ve been going up against guys like 6-10. It ain’t anything new.”

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Even if Lofton doesn’t stick with the Celtics beyond Summer League, scouts can at least watch this new version of him after playing abroad. Perhaps he ends up back overseas again, but Lofton is at least giving the NBA another shot. He’s still 22, so there are rookies older than him still suiting up in Las Vegas.

“There’s only so much you can do,” Lofton said. “You can control what you can control. That’s about it. Playing in Summer League, training camp. Even grinding on your off days. Just keep getting better each and every day. I wake up with a mindset, you gotta be better than yesterday. That’s how I live.”

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