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.

Hunter is expected to spend some time in Maine, but the Celtics have not possessed such a smooth-shooting guard since Ray Allen left for the Miami Heat in 2012. It will take time for Hunter to develop, especially physically, but unlike Young (who left after one year at Kentucky), Hunter played three years at Georgia State and was the primary focus of most opposing defenses.

He had range with the Panthers and permission from his father/coach to shoot. So his biggest adjustment from the college game is to the 23-feet-9-inch 3-point line in the NBA. The Celtics do not encourage long 2-pointers, so Hunter has spent the past six months mastering the 3-pointer.

“I’m probably as most comfortable as I have been with my shot in a while,” said Hunter, who shot 30.5 percent as a junior from the 3-point line. “I went from getting 20 shots a game to 4 [in triaing camp scrimmages] so every shot has to be locked in perfect, so I think I’ll be good.”

Globe: R.J. Hunter has shot with Celtics

“There’s just a lot going on, and you have to try and pick up on as much as you can as quick as you can,” said Hunter, selected by Boston with the 28th overall pick in last June’s draft. “But this is what you worked so hard for, to be in the NBA.”

CSNNE: Celtics rookies getting their feet wet in camp

I personally think Hunter, more than Rozier and Mickey, has the best chance to make a contribution to the Boston Celtics this season. Barring injury, Hunter’s skills are (a) most important to Stevens’ style of play and (b) not duplicated by any other player on the floor.

Rozier has the biggest logjam ahead of him. He’s not going to surpass Marcus Smart or Isaiah Thomas. Avery Bradley is a long-time veteran who can be an elite on-ball defender, so it’s going to take a lot for Rozier to pass Bradley, especially if Bradley becomes a more consistent scorer.

Mickey faces an uphill battle in the frontcourt. I know he’s got hops for days and can block shots, but he still has to beat out a lot of guys who have a lot more experiences and who are a lot more versatile than him. He might be the future, but he’s going to have to really be amazing to be the present.

That brings us to Hunter. I chose that photo of the rookies specifically to highlight the kid’s noodle arms and the biggest thing he’ll need to do… get stronger. But a lot of great shooters have slight frames, so he’s not going to have to go all Brock Lesnar on us… he’s just going to have to add strength. Meanwhile, he can probably already win himself a few after-practice three point shooting contests… which is to say he’s in the discussion for best shooter on the team.

Take that last statement with a grain of salt. Best practice shooter is one thing… it’s another to do it in a game, especially at this level and after getting thumped trying to run through screens over and over again. I’m not expecting this kid to come out and be 2008 Ray Allen here. I do, however, think that of all the rookies on this team, Hunter’s shooting is good enough that he’ll get the call to spread the floor a lot in preseason and have the greatest chance to spend the least amount of time in Maine.

This will especially be true if Hunter can use his playmaking ability to set up teammates after he’s run off the three point line. If his passing can shine this preseason, then he’s going to quickly earn a little bit of respect for being able to do something other than shoot.

Of course, none of this matters if his shot starts to fail him at the next level. We’ve seen many dead-eye shooters come into this league and fall by the wayside. But in the 2015-16 NBA, there is perhaps no more valuable skill than being able to shoot the 3 from anywhere on the court with a quick release, and that’s a skill Hunter has. The weight room will always be there, and the Celtics have some pretty good strength and conditioning people. That can come if he’s willing to put in the work. The touch is there, and that’s what giving him his best chance to be an instant contributor to this team.

Page 2: About that defense though…

After 10 rotations, and lots of scrambling and shouting by Crowder and Johnson, none of their teammates had scored a point.

“We’re here all day!” an empowered Crowder shouted.

A day later, the Celtics forward’s mind was still locked in the moment.

“Ten straight stops. That shows what two guys talking and staying on the same page and playing hard can do,” Crowder said. “Amir is a big piece on the defensive side of the ball, and he’s going to anchor a lot.”

For starters, Johnson is the rim protector the C’s generally lacked last season. He’s also another defense-first personality added to the mix.

[…] “Rebuilding (defensive) habits is where [the team is right] now,” [Stevens] said. “If we take shortcuts, we won’t be in the top 20. If we play it really hard and stay focused, the sky’s the limit.”

Herald: Celtics build up on defense

I tweeted the other day after this exchange was first revealed (with the expletive that was edited out of the Herald piece because f-bombs are evil and will cause the disintegration of society) that Crowder should make the leap to Boston fan-favorite this season.

He’s going to be out there busting his ass on a daily basis, he’s going to be hustling, diving, defending… and not to mention scoring a fair amount of points. When I think defensive leader of the Boston Celtics, I don’t think it will necessarily be Smart or Bradley… I think Crowder is the guy who is going to set the tone.

Of course, the Smart/Bradley combo are the pit bulls who will be the first line of defense, but they’re also two of the keys to the Boston offense, so there’s only so much they can do and still be effective. They’re not going to be picking up full court, and then running the offense for 36 minutes a game, 100 games a year.

But Crowder can be that spark because the Celtics don’t need him to be a top scoring option. He’s a great third or fourth option when the ball is rotated a few times and defenses make mistakes. He’ll have hot stretches where he hits a few shots in a row, but the Celtics have a lot more scoring options ahead of Crowder, which makes him perfect to be the spark-plug defender who trails on the break and gets a back-breaking transition 3 that ignites the crowd and forces a timeout.

Add to that Amir Johnson, who is already drawing raves on the defensive side of the ball, and the Celtics are now establishing a definite defensive mindset in the front and backcourts. That mentality is going to be at the heart of what Stevens is trying to do in Boston, because a team that can swarm on defense and force stops can then run out on the break and get easy scoring opportunities.

Man… I just love writing about teams on October first. They’re so full of promise. If this team can be close to what these two items today indicate, they’re going to be alright.

Related links: CSNNE: Crowder ready to be emotional leader

The rest of the links

CSNNE: Johnson felt like joining Celtics “a good fit” |  Celtics focus on 3’s good for Jerebko  |  Smart: Mindset is to earn minutes again

ESPN Boston: Jerebko looking to earn his wings

WEEI: Ainge’s 25 most consequential trades: Hello, Isaiah Thomas  |  Rozier jumps on championship bandwagon

MassLive: Bradley, Celtics focused on taking fewer long 2’s  | Ainge: Veterans all talking about Rozier after “fantastic” training camp