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.
The 6-foot-5 wing admits he didn’t fully grasp the NBA game when he got to the Celtics.
“No idea,” he said. “And there’s nothing that can really prepare you for it. You can watch all the film you want. You can compare yourself to other guys that are at your position. But you kind of have to go through it to really understand it.”
Now he’s in a position where the Celts need a consistent outside shooter — and he’s a shooter.
“I know what I can do,” Hunter said. “I know I can shoot. For me, it’s just getting on the court. All the other things — the defense and the details of the game — are what allow that to happen. So I have to take care of that part of the process. It’s definitely an adjustment, especially coming from my situation where I was a main scorer.”
Encouragement comes from even players like Kyle Korver and J.J. Redick needing time before becoming consistent contributors.
“I look at J.J. a lot, because it took him five or six years to actually be a consistent shooter in the league — and he’s an all-time shooter,” Hunter said. “So it’s all about patience. I think the first thing is believing in your abilities, and then just working on it.”
Boston Herald – R.J Hunter takes shots from Danny Ainge
Yesterday, John (and Steve Bulpett) closely examined James Young as he enters into his third, and likely most pivotal NBA season. Bulpett’s piece and John’s analysis almost read like a career obituary for the lefty sharp-shooter who hasn’t been able to make anything of his handful of NBA minutes. Young was drafted in the first round, primarily for his ability to spread the floor with his range and for tantalizing athleticism that could help him blossom into a legitimate rotation player once he learned the NBA game.
Maybe it’s the adage of never having enough shooting, or maybe Ainge and co. knew that they needed some serious James Young Bust Insurance, but just one year after his selection, Ainge nabbed R.J. Hunter. Hunter found the floor more in his rookie season than Young did — heck, he found the floor more last season than Young did in his second NBA season. Hunter showed he can shoot, but also showed flashes of heady play on defense and an ability to make plays for others on offense. If one were to buy stock on one of the Celtics’ young wings, one would buy Hunter over Young any day of the week.
Still, there’s the question of what R.J. Hunter can become, and we should continue to find answers to that question this season. Cracking the Cs rotation is a lot like trying to get a table at a Vegas club with five of your closest guy friends — it takes perseverance, creativity and likely means paying a group of random girls to be part of your party (ok, that one doesn’t really translate to Brad Stevens’ rotation, at least I don’t think). If Hunter can only manage sporadic minutes in year two, it will set up next summer in much the same way Young’s summer just went.
Hunter takes comfort in knowing that guys like J.J. Redick and Kyle Korver took some time to truly blossom in the league, but he shouldn’t get too comfortable. For Every Redick and Korver there are dozens of shooters who don’t make it because they are liabilities everywhere else on the floor. Hunter will have to grind, get stronger and make the most of his time in order to follow Redick and/or Korver’s career arc.
On page 2, Jaylen Brown gets recognized
Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown named All-NBA Summer League 2nd teamer for Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/0v66gbDiud
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) July 18, 2016
A well-deserved honor for the third pick in this year’s draft. Brown was anything if not consistent through the entirety of the summer slate: He got to the free throw line, made plays on defense, was inconsistent finishing at the rim, and shot the ball poorly. All in all, he really has come as advertised. His promising finish to Summer League made me think that as a back-up to Jae Crowder this year, Brown will make his presence felt and grow significantly as a rookie.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!