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.

James Young played a total of just nine minutes over the Celtics’ first 20 games of this season. He shuttled back and forth from the D-League, and when he was in Boston, he most often sat on the bench in a suit.

But the recent injuries to Marcus Smart and R.J. Hunter have created an opportunity for the second-year wing, and over the past four games he has carved out a quiet yet important role.

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“We’re not asking him to work miracles out there,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Just make an open shot or two, rebound the ball, defend your position, be able to switch, defend a couple positions, and that’s enough. He’s been very consistent on the defensive end of the floor.”

Boston Globe – It seems like James Young’s time has come

No one would have looked at you crazy if on draft night, 2014 you turned to your friends and stated: “Two seasons from now, James Young is going to make an impact on the Celtics.” Billed as a sharp-shooting lefty who probably needed a year or so shuttling up and back between the big club and the Red Claws, Young was drafted as a high ceiling teenager whose shooting would hopefully, one day, fit a need.

A year and a half later and Young, after alternately wowing in the D-League and floundering with the Celtics seems to be getting comfortable with the game of professional basketball. While pundits and fans a like postulated that it would be Young’s shooting that earned him burn in Boston, it’s been his defense and burgeoning basketball IQ that had him sticking in Brad Stevens’ rotation over the last week. Starting in New Orleans, Young logged more than just a handful of minutes in games against the Pelicans, Bulls, Warriors and Hornets – all teams with winning records.

Young, who last season would go from burning a hole in the nets in Maine to clanking off the iron in Boston still isn’t shooting very well. He’s 1-6 from long range in that four game span, but he’s fitting in seamlessly with what the Cs want to do on both ends of the floor, and in that regard, the Kentucky phenom with the high ceiling is simply becoming a part of the winning brand of basketball that Stevens and his staff is continually working to establish.

So, what happens from here? When Marcus Smart eventually makes his return, it’s a safe bet to assume Young will lose most, if not all of his minutes. RJ Hunter will probably be cleared first, though, as soon as Tuesday night with the Cavs coming to town. The question then becomes: Young or Hunter? Hunter has shot the ball better -albeit both sample sizes are small- yet the Cs are 3-1 with Young logging his minutes, and to this untrained eye, Young looks a bit better defensively.

Deciding between two, promising backcourt players to fill out the rotation is a nice problem for Brad Stevens. It’ll be interesting to see in which direction he goes.

On page 2, December’s gauntlet schedule shaping these Celtics

In those losses to San Antonio and Golden State, Boston may have discovered something about itself. If these Celtics can trade haymakers with Aldridge/Duncan/Ginobili and Curry/Green/Iguodala in crunch time then there’s not many teams in the league that will leave Boston questioning itself.

The Celtics have an identity and a rotation now. Soon they’ll get Marcus Smartback, a player that improves their depth and may be the poster child for that defensive identity. Each night is still going to be a battle for this star-less roster, but Boston found out a lot about itself the past two weeks and it should go a long way towards helping this team achieve its goals of taking another step forward this season.

ESPN – Celtics discover identity, gain confidence

The month of December may not be as consistent a grind as the first few weeks of the season, but the schedule certainly does not lack in star power. Just over a week removed from a game in San Antonio and days after the Warriors came to town, the Garden welcomes Lebron and company for the first time since he finished off a sweep of the Cs in the first round of the 2015 playoffs.

Taking the schedule game-by-game when it was released over the summer, it wouldn’t have surprised most to see the Cs floating at or below .500 at this point. Instead, the Celtics are not only weathering the storm, but are right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Don’t let the blowout wins deceive you: these are tough games. With the East all of a sudden providing very few easy nights, it feels as though every night is going to be a battle. It also feels as though no game is too big for this group, as they’ve hung tough and/or knocked off every contender that’s been in its path.

If the Cs can keep on their current pace up through the holiday, the schedule softens with a Knicks/Lakers/Nets/Nets slate which should coincide with the return of Marcus Smart.

Here’s to another fun week of Celtics basketball.