Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“Coach Stevens has really been on me about defense,” Young told CSNNE. “That’s how coach Cal was, too.”
Because of Young’s 7-foot wing span, his potential as a solid defender is clear which can only increase the chances of him seeing time on the floor sooner rather than later.
Shortly after the Celtics drafted him at No. 17, Calipari spoke about his former player to CSNNE.
“He’s got a ways to go,” Calipari said of Young. “He’s 19. “[He’s] as fast as anyone in the draft, as long and athletic as anyone in the draft and can really shoot… The people in Boston are going to love him.”
CSNNE: C’s Young: Stevens ‘on me about defense’
Oh, the dreaded “P” word… potential.
It’s tough to find a scorer who is also a good defender, so I’m going to set my expectations low on Young ever becoming a stopper. He’ll have to really step it up and use his energy on the defensive end to ensure some minutes on a team bursting at the seams with perimeter players, but even if Young does improve his defense, the Celtics drafted him to be a scorer, and scorers save their energy for the offensive end.
I know that’s not the popular approach to evaluating players. I know that the Celtics will preach defense to him, but these seasons get long, and the human body can only do so much before it gets tired, regardless of age. His forte’ is shooting the basketball. That’s what he’s going to do most, and that’s what’s going to make him the most money in the NBA. So if he is tired out there, he’s going to rest on the defensive end, and everyone involved knows that.
Of course, that’s not going to be acceptable until his scoring becomes indispensable. So for now, he has to do whatever the coaches tell him and focus on whatever Brad Stevens wants him to focus on. But as he gets older and, hopefully, better, he’ll become less of a defender and more of a scorer.
So this is all well and good, and hopefully he can become a solid enough defender to get into some real game action. But I’m not holding my breath for it to last forever.
The rest of the links:
South Coast Today: Six scenes with Avery Bradley at the Burgo Basketball Complex in Dartmouth | CFJCTV: Olynyk at home in Kamloops | ESPN Boston: Summer Forecast: Too Young? | WEEI: Bradley: Celtics have a chance to make playoffs
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