Hunter should be a fixture in the roster

[jpotter33]

He's a shooter who has shot atrociously through summerleague and pre-season thus far.   Maybe he develops into something down the line.  I'm not buying it.  He almost slipped into the 2nd round for a reason.  He and James Young can duke it out in Maine and the winner can have first dibs on warming the bench when injuries necessitate a call-up.

Just with the eye-test alone, do you not see a difference out there between Young and Hunter? To me, Young looks lost where Hunter looks like he knows what he's doing. Part of his horrible shooting percentage so far has been shot selection, which can arguably be attributed to habits picked up from his primary role on his college team.

[86MaxwellSmart]

He's a shooter who has shot atrociously through summerleague and pre-season thus far.   Maybe he develops into something down the line.  I'm not buying it.  He almost slipped into the 2nd round for a reason.  He and James Young can duke it out in Maine and the winner can have first dibs on warming the bench when injuries necessitate a call-up.

Just with the eye-test alone, do you not see a difference out there between Young and Hunter? To me, Young looks lost where Hunter looks like he knows what he's doing. Part of his horrible shooting percentage so far has been shot selection, which can arguably be attributed to habits picked up from his primary role on his college team.

When Danny Ainge was a rookie---He couldn't hit the side of a barn--Red told him to keep shooting---Obviously it worked out--You could see that Ainge looked like he belonged on the court though---same case with Hunter---Not so much Young.

[Celtics18]

He hasn't been shooting well, but, like many observers, I am being won over by the way he seems to be a gamer.  It may not show up in the box score yet, but every time he steps on the court, he makes plays that belie his lack of experience.

Definitely a keeper, in my book.

I agree that he looks like he knows what he's doing and what his role should be on the court.  I like that a lot.  He appears to have the mental component that James Young has lacked so far.

That said, until he actually produces on the court, it's all theoretical, and I think it's very premature to suggest he should be a "fixture" in the rotation.

Oh, I wasn't arguing that I think he should (or will) be a regular in the rotation in his rookie year, just that I like what I've seen out of him so far.

We have too much depth as it is already to be giving significant time to any of the rookies.  However, injuries invariably happen, and I expect RJ to be ready if his name is called at some point during the season. 

[tarheelsxxiii]

i think hunters focus and amount of energy on defence may have effected his shot in europe but he was still impressive-this player has it for me the same way i appreciated prince for his skills-
tp for original post,well written,correct punctuation and spelling and leaves nothing unsaid

Thank you sir, back at ya -- appreciate your posts for the qualitative/observational information you provide ... I think that gets lost here pretty often, but is very valuable.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Based on what, exactly?

Did I miss him having a big game in summer league or preseason? 

As far as I'm aware, he's had a couple of games where he hits a few shots, but I have yet to see him look like a "fixture."

Is there any evidence yet he can consistently get open and hit shots against NBA defenders?  How about defending NBA scorers?

It's a matter of personal opinion, really, which of course can and should be taken with a grain of salt. My primary arguments are, and do not go beyond, a) He is NBA-ready and can immediately help the team (in a limited capacity), b) He would benefit more from being with the team than in Maine, more often than not, and c) He will be a Celtic beyond his rookie contract.

The rationale is really simple, as I listed observables that appear to be associated with success at the next level: supreme confidence, high BBIQ plays on both ends of the court (crafty assists, help defense), high effort, and ability to move on after making one of many expected mistakes (unlisted, reference to cutting instead of flaring on a semi-break with IT pushing the ball). Re: confidence, I observed several instances of a vet talking to RJ during a time-out or on the court ... a teaching that, one would assume, a vet wouldn't go out of his way to provide if he didn't think RJ was prepared to digest and act upon. His demeanor in these scenarios, and during the Olimpia game in general (his first professional game), were impressive as well.

I expect we will reach a snafu here because we're discussing two different things -- statistics supporting performance, versus observables supporting capacity. In what little I have seen, he appears to have both the talent to make a significant contribution, and the intelligence/maturity to make good on that talent (perhaps beyond).

Final point: Some players have historically elevated their games when paired and competing with superior talent. I place RJ in that category, as he appears to fit the mold of said players pretty closely -- high BBIQ, focus, confidence, translatable skills, and motivation. If that is the case, he belongs with the team more often than he does in Maine, for his development and the team's benefit. Is this presumptuous? Sure, that and bold by CB standards (that tend to interpret stats and... beyond that... very little). I'm just focused on that "very little," and while the value of that may be in question, and the reality may be that I'm way off-base... I still just feel confident in him with respect to that mentioned above.

[tarheelsxxiii]

He hasn't been shooting well, but, like many observers, I am being won over by the way he seems to be a gamer.  It may not show up in the box score yet, but every time he steps on the court, he makes plays that belie his lack of experience.

Definitely a keeper, in my book.

Yep, and eventually, it will show up.

Your post actually seems to point to a broader question -- how useful is it to grade rookies on their offensive production in SL or preseason? How much does it really matter, even on the front end of the season?

Think we can all agree we are playing to win these Euro games, and rotations/substitutions are tactful outside of an early blow-out. Is it a coincidence RJ was called upon so early in the Olimpia game? Imagine all the behind-the-scenes happenings in recent weeks ... would you not expect there to be several factors, based on RJ's performance and character, that got him to see such an early look? It's a compliment, honestly.

With re: to judging his performance statistically -- should there not be pause for concern if he is outscoring the vets on our team? We aren't running plays for him, we have several established scorers (2 of whom are very good) and playmakers that the offensive is going to naturally flow through, and RJ is as green as could be on this stage. So, that said, why would we expect big statistical performances out of him in preseason or early on in the regular season? That isn't what he is being/going to be asked to do, so it seems misguided to be assessing him in this way. Need to keep in mind what he's being asked/expected to do, what his talents are, and where he is developmentally in order to make sound predictions of his capacity and upside.

[max215]

RJ looks like he can play. This is totally unscientific and based solely off my gut, but I really think RJ could be excellent. He's smart, has a great stroke, and excellent instincts. He just knows how to play basketball, and somehow, guys like that often find a way to make it in the league.

[rollie mass]

i believe as i have posted several times that rj knows if he doesn't play defence to a good standard a better standard than he has played before that he will not get time
this is quite a task
getting down in position and holding it,fighting over screens,knowing all your players and defensive sets and helping
then add the levels of smart,avery,crowder and rozier that are being set-this effort ,dig deep effort,exhausting effort and sometimes painful and full of knocks is his focus and concentration
everybody knows he can shoot,he has always been a shooter but his major knock was going to be defence and how he fit in
well he has proved himself in vegas and his last two games -his passing and his defence has been his strength and he fit right in-
the real test about to begin, nba players

[Eddie20]

He's a shooter who has shot atrociously through summerleague and pre-season thus far.   Maybe he develops into something down the line.  I'm not buying it.  He almost slipped into the 2nd round for a reason.

Shock!

So does this mean you're exceptionally high on Rozier? His knock was his shooting and not only did he hit some tough clutch shots in the summer league, but he's also 9 for 14 from the field and 3 for 5 from 3pt range though 2 preseason games.

[PhoSita]

He hasn't been shooting well, but, like many observers, I am being won over by the way he seems to be a gamer.  It may not show up in the box score yet, but every time he steps on the court, he makes plays that belie his lack of experience.

Definitely a keeper, in my book.

I agree that he looks like he knows what he's doing and what his role should be on the court.  I like that a lot.  He appears to have the mental component that James Young has lacked so far.

That said, until he actually produces on the court, it's all theoretical, and I think it's very premature to suggest he should be a "fixture" in the rotation.

Oh, I wasn't arguing that I think he should (or will) be a regular in the rotation in his rookie year, just that I like what I've seen out of him so far.

We have too much depth as it is already to be giving significant time to any of the rookies.  However, injuries invariably happen, and I expect RJ to be ready if his name is called at some point during the season.

I like what I've seen, too.  I think it's important to point out, though, that most guys who play Hunter's role come into the league and play limited minutes and often even struggle to hit better than 30% from three point land.  It's a major adjustment.

I was responding to the premise of the thread when I mentioned the "fixture" thing.

We're in agreement that the rookies won't see much playing time barring injuries.  I don't really think that's such a great thing considering we're two years into a major rebuild with no clear path forward, but that's the course we're on for now.