Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“It was a good experience, especially someone you kind of grow up watching,” the Celtics rookie said last night after scoring 12 points in a 119-107 exhibition win over the Knicks.
“And then when you get in front of them it’s kind of like a it-hits-you type of moment, so you’ve got to be locked in and it’s kind of like you’ve got to be on your P’s and Q’s because every little inch, every mistake you make, he’s gonna make you pay for it,” Brown said. “So it was an educational experience and I feel like I got better today.”
Herald: Big moment finally hits Jaylen Brown
Failure at this stage is a good thing because it’s educational. I’d rather have Brown fail at this point and learn proper techniques than succeed on sheer physical talent and develop bad habits.
After the Nets game, Brad Stevens said they were throwing Brown to the wolves a bit this preseason, and there’s bigger wolf he’s faced so far than Carmelo Anthony. And, as expected, Melo put on a clinic even though Jaylen kinda knew what was coming.
“I’ve seen it so many times. I probably watched it 1,000 times,” he said. “I knew what he was doing and I think everybody knew what he was doing, but for some reason I still jumped off my feet so I was really mad at myself. I’ve just got to be better next time and the more experience the better you get.
But it wasn’t all bad. As Jay King notes at Mass Live, Jaylen had a few moments himself.
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In a span of seven seconds, Brown rotates to block Knicks big man Willy Hernangomez, hustles to swipe the rebound away, and sprints to the other basket for a Eurostep layup. It’s not normal to transition that quickly from erasing an opponent’s layup attempt to scoring one of your own.
There were others, which is encouraging. But the lesson this morning just solidifies what we’ve seen about Brown so far. He’s raw, but incredibly talented. He’s got the ability to contribute on physical talent alone, and if his actual basketball ability can match his raw physical tools, he can be a special player. Lessons taught to him by Carmelo Anthony should, if applied properly, make him a better player at some point… hopefully soon.
For now, we’ll have to accept that this will be a season full of lessons accentuated by some fun highlights.
Related links: CSNNE: Brown gets “Education” from Carmelo Anthony
Page 2: THE RJ HUNTER HYPE TRAIN IS BACK!
Hunter knocked down 3-pointers. He bounced off a defender with muscles the world didn’t know he owned. He showed savviness, poise and opportunistic play, hitting 6 of his 8 field goal attempts as Isaiah Thomas roared for his teammate on the bench. Other Celtics helped — Jaylen Brown had one six- or seven- second span in which he notched a block, a steal and a Eurostep transition layup — but nobody produced more than Hunter, who might be fighting for a roster spot.
Finally… RJ Hunter is showing some of the stuff that I’ve been waiting for.
Granted it was against the Knicks’ scrubs in a preseason game, but hey, aggressive basketball and accurate 3-point shooting are welcome at any time against anybody. So what if Hunter is literally the worst player in the NBA according to 2K 17 ratings… I still see the potential for an NBA contributor in there somewhere.
It might take a little while to blossom, but I think Hunter is the keeper over James Young, and that Hunter will have at least a solid NBA career.
The rest of the links:
Globe: McHale has a lot to say about the Celtics and the NBA | Celtics coast past Knicks | Gerald Green praised by Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek
Herald: Celtics imports Zizic and Yabusele making grade studying abroad
CSNNE: Celtics start strong, bench controls second half in win over Knicks
MassLive: Celtics beat Knicks: 10 things to like/dislike
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