What is the minimum growth the Celtics need to see from young players?

[wdleehi]

We hope most the Celtics young guys take big steps in their development, but what is the minimum you want to see that could change the team for the better?


For example:

Time Lord - I want to see him be at least average in terms of team defense and not a liability when the ball is in his hand.  (Being able to quickly make the next simple pass/ slightly below average shooter around the free throw line) 

[droopdog7]

Brown and Tatum need to show their star potential NEXT year.  Frankly, I don't see either one as young anymore.  If they've got it, we need to see it.

[Jban13]

Just looking at some small things I'd like to see...

Tatum: He doesn't have to eliminate it but I'd like to see a reduction in his mid range attempts. More of a focus on the 3 or getting to the rim and generating free throws. Also being better at using his left hand going to the rim.

Jaylen brown: some continued improvement in his handle and passing on the drive. Trend towards above 70% free throw shooting

Robert Williams: better team defense and more awareness on offense. More patience on when to block shots and when to stay down

[Rosco917]

Just looking at some small things I'd like to see...

Tatum: He doesn't have to eliminate it but I'd like to see a reduction in his mid range attempts. More of a focus on the 3 or getting to the rim and generating free throws. Also being better at using his left hand going to the rim.

Jaylen brown: some continued improvement in his handle and passing on the drive. Trend towards above 70% free throw shooting

Robert Williams: better team defense and more awareness on offense. More patience on when to block shots and when to stay down

This contributor just said something important about Brown. "some continued improvement in his handle and passing on the drive" this would be key. When Jaylen heads to the rim EVERYONE knows he is unlikely to pass the ball, or simply dump it to a nearby player. Doing it a time or two per game would open the paint up for him a great deal.

"Trend towards above 70% free throw shooting" another nice request for Jaylen.

[Emmette Bryant]

Just looking at some small things I'd like to see...

Tatum: He doesn't have to eliminate it but I'd like to see a reduction in his mid range attempts. More of a focus on the 3 or getting to the rim and generating free throws. Also being better at using his left hand going to the rim.

Jaylen brown: some continued improvement in his handle and passing on the drive. Trend towards above 70% free throw shooting

Robert Williams: better team defense and more awareness on offense. More patience on when to block shots and when to stay down

TP. This is pretty much what I'd like to see.

[Boise To Boston]

Brown - I'd like to see him improve his handle and become a better passer.  He should get to the point where he can create his own shot in isolation, and he's not there yet.  I'd like to see him develop a deadly fall-away jumper from the block when he posts up smaller guards, and become proficient at passing out of it when he gets doubled.

Tatum - Would love to see him take more threes as the pop man in the pick and roll.  Cut down on the true midrange game and focus on shots from the block, the elbow, and the three-point line.  I would like to see him develop into someone who can consistently play the 4 defensively and even give us a look as a small-ball center.

Williams - Want to see him get 20-30 minutes per game and have his conditioning keep up with a bigger workload.  He's a [dang]ed wild mustang and we just need to break him in through game minutes so he can better learn to play team defense, set good screens, etc.

Semi - Need to see him as a better shooter from three when he is moving around in the confines of the offense, as opposed to just someone who can stand and hit the corner three when he is wide open.  Would like to see him improve his finish at the rim when he gets the ball on the cut (I don't expect him to ever be able to create off the dribble).

[GreenEnvy]

Tatum needs to do more catch-and-shoot. I’m tired of his one-dribble (either side-step or to come in for a long two) when he’s deadly off the pass.

Brown needs to get better control with the dribble. Practice FT’s!!!

Smart needs better shot selection, doesn’t need to chuck as much or the reckless shots in traffic

I like Semi’s 3-and-D style. Catch the occasional lob and D up the toughest matchup.

Yabu is Yabu.

RWill not chase as many blocks as he will naturally get so many and alter others. Less fouls and he can get plenty of PT. His defense, rebounding, and PnR is fun to watch. I don’t expect him to ever be a player with a nice shot or great post moves, but he can be an efficient scorer good for double digits if he’s alert and hustles.

Don’t know enough about the rookies or what to expect from them.

[RPGenerate]

I want to see a lot more than I did last year. If we are committing to the path of building around Tatum and Brown, I am going to hold them to that standard.

[Csfan1984]

I want to see a commitment to finding the hot hand and riding the streak till the D stops that guy. Once they do I want that guy to stop shooting and start playing decoy getting players easy looks. I want guys going all out to help each other succeed. Team work. They show me that and I'll consider it great growth.

[td450]

Tatum needs to work hard finishing left, and he needs to develop a couple of reliable, well practiced midrange shots when he can't get all the way to the rim.

Brown needs to work on footwork and post moves. Even though his pivoting and footwork is awful, he's still OK on the block because he has so much athleticism and a solid touch, but he could be unstoppable if he just learned some fundamental post skills. He also needs a couple of high efficiency midrange shots.

[cman88]

I want to see more of the tatum who took over the ECF his rookie year against Lebron....and less the kobe step back Tatum who took a step back last year.

I think brown really came on in the playoffs last year

[nickagneta]

I want to see much improved effort and performance as both team defenders and one on one defenders. And I mean this for every player. 1st and foremost, you have to bring the heat on defense and do it for 48 minutes.

Tatum needs to add some bulk this year and keep it on throughout the year. He needs to get much better at finishing through contact. He needs to seriously reduce those "2 steps into the two point shot area", mid range jumpers and turn them into "2 steps sideways staying in three point land", three point shots. He has to start seeing the floor more and become a better facilitator. There is no reason Tatum shouldn't average 4 assists a game for this team. He has that capacity.

Brown needs to communicate better on the floor with his teammates. He needs to become a legit threat to make an All-Defense team. He needs to make that turn around, fall away, leg kick jumper from 10-16 feet post move of his automatic and the team needs to set him up to use that post up move 4 times a game minimum. He just needs to shoot the ball the way he did for the last 50 games or so and be that guy that can be relief upon to shoot 49/39/70+ with a TS% around 60% or a wee bit higher. Free throws, free throws, free throws.

Timelord, just be healthy and good enough to be a rotation player by the playoffs next year. You need to get better in so many areas so it's pointless to list, so just get better, in every facet, until you become a productive, rotational player.

[mr. dee]

Tatum = Less whining, better overall body strength and more drives to the rim.

Brown = Better handles and improved FT shooting

Smart = Utilize post ups on mistmatches more often.

Timelord = Improved on-court awareness on the defensive end.

[SparzWizard]

This team needs to learn how to MAKE free throws.

Those are lost points and factor into end game results.