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.
Jaylen Brown
“He’s a young guy in a man’s league,” coach Brad Stevens said on Wednesday at the Shamrock Foundation’s Teeing Up for Kids Golf Tournament at the Old Sandwich Golf Club. “He’s got to get a lot better. Time will tell with him, but he certainly has a high upside.”
…
When asked about the balancing act of acknowledging that he’s a teenager but in a man’s league, Stevens replied, “There’s no balance.”
He added, “You can either add value or you can’t. That’s the reality of the situation. We’re in a really good spot where he’s going to be challenged every day in practice to grow and get better. The guys that have been around, there’s nothing better for him than to play against Jae Crowder or play against Avery Bradley or playing against Marcus [Smart] or one of our 4’s (power forwards), whatever the case may be. Those will be good things for him.”
Jaylen Brown is, we are not the first to point out, in an odd position. Normally a guy drafted third is going to a team that earned that third spot in the draft by virtue of having many players on the roster that aren’t very good at NBA basketball. That usually means lots of minutes–maybe even starter minutes–for a rookie.
That’s not going to happen with Brown–even though he slots into a thin spot in the Celtics’ lineup.
What will help Brown develop is that he’s coming into a team with an established identity. By this point in time, the Celtics know who they are, and Jaylen will be moving into a more functional and positive environment than your typical #3 pick (cough-SixersKingsLakers-cough)
James Young
The kids at English High School were still in class when Boston Celtics wing James Young arrived 30-plus minutes early.
There was no mistaking the eagerness on Young’s part to be there to give away backpacks to the 60 or so kids and speak with them about the value of mentorships as part of President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Success Mentor Initiative
…
“I’m not thinking about contracts or the next year,” Young said in an interview with CSNNE.com and the Boston Globe following Thursday’s event. “I’m staying in the present right now. I’ve gotten a lot better; still getting better. I’m not thinking about the future or what they got coming up or what they’ve got going on. I’m staying in the present.”
Well presently, Young’s role is very much up in the air. Forget about playing time.
At this point, simply being able to hold down a roster spot will be a victory in itself for Young in training camp.
Okay, first of all, it’s great that James Young is doing community support activities–handing out backpacks in this case–and taking time to talk meaningfully about the importance of mentoring and helping out disadvantaged kids.
And secondly, about the best thing Young can do as far as his basketball career is concerned is to stay in the present. The past is not exactly full of highlight reel material.
I’d like James Young to be better than he has been. While it may be fun for us to watch an entire team stink, a la the Lakers, it’s not particularly fun to watch someone struggle who just isn’t very good at their job. It would be nice if Young could carve out a niche somewhere in the NBA, or if he ends up out of the league, that he at least lands on his feet.
I already pegged him as the odd man out in the Celtics roster crunch. Instead of giving him a leg up on the competition, his status as a veteran is, by now, weighing against him.
Jordan Mickey
For the Celtics, it was a no-brainer to sign him to a four-year, $5 million contract because of the 6-foot-9 big man’s upside and potential.
But let’s face it.
Ballin’ out in summer league play is nice.
Ballin’ out in the Development League?
Yeah, that’s pretty cool too.
But none of that matters if you don’t handle your business against NBA competition, something Mickey has done little of in his still-blossoming NBA career.
Okay, I have to warn you. That article is a slideshow. However, there’s a lot of text in it–worth reading.
However, it’s white text on a black background. So, you know, that sucks. But–again–it’s worth reading.
Jordan Mickey was not helped by the signing of Al Horford. He was going to struggle to earn minutes at Jared Sullinger’s expense–and he’s also behind Tyler Zeller in the front court depth chart.
It’s times like this that you wish that the pro game was as amenable to substitutions as the college game is. Because the Celtics may not have a super star, but they have killer depth right now. If the Bruins had this kind of depth… Well, I don’t really want to get into that, because the Celtics are about as well managed as the Bruins aren’t at this point.
Page 2: Tyler Zeller’s ready for anything
Celtics backup center Tyler Zeller was coming off the most frustrating season of his four-year career. He played sparingly and was often left wondering where he fit in lineups that were often smaller and more skilled. And after playing just 11.8 minutes per game over 60 games, he was left to wonder how that year might have affected his future.
When the Celtics ultimately rescinded their qualifying offer for their other restricted free agent, forward Jared Sullinger, there seemed to be a fresh opportunity for Zeller. The 7-footer finally signed a two-year, $16 million deal, with the second year nonguaranteed.
I’ve said before, I like the way the Celtics handled the Zeller situation. During the season Ainge told various media people that they were aware that Zeller was in a contract year, and that they weren’t trying to disadvantage him. And then when the time came, they ponied up a sizable chunk of cash for basically their #3 center. Guys in the league respect that. That’s not necessarily going to land you Kevin Durant, but you can bet that it’s an important consideration for the various role players that you need on your team to win a title.
Related article
CSNNE: Zeller hopes new contract leads to new role on Celtics
Finally: Some Celtics players went to a football game
OK this actually is a Celtics tweet ha pic.twitter.com/KK6PT9lJfv
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) September 23, 2016
Jaylen Brown at the Patriots game
Still on that college budget with this view pic.twitter.com/rFC8XXldft
— Celtics Junkies (@CelticsJunkies) September 23, 2016
It’s great for the fans to see various Boston teams show up for each other.
Related, Isaiah Thomas may well be one of the best ambassadors the Celtics have had in a long time:
@KWAPT look who’s at the Pats game pic.twitter.com/GIkoMmJAnw
— Robert Romeril (@rromeril3) September 23, 2016
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