The Case for Starting RJ Hunter

[max215]

TP to someone that can post the article please

?

[GreenCoffeeBean]

Hunter imo is a future 6th man.  Just too thin to go against top sgs

I think length is a better asset guarding against modern day SGs than weight/muscle is. The modern day SG tends to be 6'4"-6'7" and 200-220 pounds. Hunter is currently 6'6" 185", Avery Bradley is 6'2" 180lbs (not sure how current that is) and he does just fine.

There's a lot of ways to guard successfully. Anticipation, length and power are the order that I would rank them according to importance.

It certainly won't hurt Hunter to bulk up to 200-210 pounds but that alone won't be the reason he is successful or unsuccessful.

[Beat LA]

The argument for starting Hunter, if there is one, is twofold, imo.  First, since he's used to coming off of picks, he's probably the only guy on our entire roster for whom you can actually run plays, and second, whether he's curling off of a screen or not, he's already the best passer on the team, and certainly from the guard/forward position, so he'll be able to get people much better shots than what we saw from our half court offense last year, but we'll see what happens.

[max215]

Hunter imo is a future 6th man.  Just too thin to go against top sgs

I think length is a better asset guarding against modern day SGs than weight/muscle is. The modern day SG tends to be 6'4"-6'7" and 200-220 pounds. Hunter is currently 6'6" 185", Avery Bradley is 6'2" 180lbs (not sure how current that is) and he does just fine.

There's a lot of ways to guard successfully. Anticipation, length and power are the order that I would rank them according to importance.

It certainly won't hurt Hunter to bulk up to 200-210 pounds but that alone won't be the reason he is successful or unsuccessful.

I think I tried to outline this as best I could in the OP, but TP for expanding on it.

[crimson_stallion]

At the end of the day Hunter is a rookie, it's going to take time before he's ready to make an impact in the NBA.

Look at Sully and KO - they were honestly two of the most NBA ready draftees we've had in Boston over the years because they had such high Basketball IQ and they had skills that translated well to the NBA.  Even despite this, both players looked pretty bad in the first half of their rookie years, and didn't really show genuine competence until after the All-Star break in their first seasons.

Similar deal with Smart, even though his defense was excellent from day one.

I think Hunter will need at least until the All-Star break (if not a full season) before he gets to the point where he has adjusted to the NBA game well enough to actually really help Boston when he's on the court.

At this point in time, Avery Bradley is still our best, and most proven, player at the SG spot.  He's a 15 PPG guy, he's arguably out best outside shooter, and he's a former All-Defensive team selection.

In time (maybe 1 or 2 years from now) I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see either Rozier or Hunter pass Bradley, but not yet.

[biggs]

At the end of the day Hunter is a rookie, it's going to take time before he's ready to make an impact in the NBA.

Look at Sully and KO - they were honestly two of the most NBA ready draftees we've had in Boston over the years because they had such high Basketball IQ and they had skills that translated well to the NBA.  Even despite this, both players looked pretty bad in the first half of their rookie years, and didn't really show genuine competence until after the All-Star break in their first seasons.

Similar deal with Smart, even though his defense was excellent from day one.

I think Hunter will need at least until the All-Star break (if not a full season) before he gets to the point where he has adjusted to the NBA game well enough to actually really help Boston when he's on the court.

At this point in time, Avery Bradley is still our best, and most proven, player at the SG spot.  He's a 15 PPG guy, he's arguably out best outside shooter, and he's a former All-Defensive team selection.

In time (maybe 1 or 2 years from now) I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see either Rozier or Hunter pass Bradley, but not yet.

Avery Bradley is our best 3pt shooter? I think I just vomited in my mouth a little bit.

[LooseCannon]

At the end of the day Hunter is a rookie, it's going to take time before he's ready to make an impact in the NBA.

Look at Sully and KO - they were honestly two of the most NBA ready draftees we've had in Boston over the years because they had such high Basketball IQ and they had skills that translated well to the NBA.  Even despite this, both players looked pretty bad in the first half of their rookie years, and didn't really show genuine competence until after the All-Star break in their first seasons.

Similar deal with Smart, even though his defense was excellent from day one.

I think Hunter will need at least until the All-Star break (if not a full season) before he gets to the point where he has adjusted to the NBA game well enough to actually really help Boston when he's on the court.

At this point in time, Avery Bradley is still our best, and most proven, player at the SG spot.  He's a 15 PPG guy, he's arguably out best outside shooter, and he's a former All-Defensive team selection.

In time (maybe 1 or 2 years from now) I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see either Rozier or Hunter pass Bradley, but not yet.

Avery Bradley is our best 3pt shooter? I think I just vomited in my mouth a little bit.

Percentage-wise, Jerebko and Johnson shot better from three last season.  Thomas shot worse with the Celtics, but had a higher 3P% overall when you include his time in Phoenix.

[max215]

At the end of the day Hunter is a rookie, it's going to take time before he's ready to make an impact in the NBA.

Look at Sully and KO - they were honestly two of the most NBA ready draftees we've had in Boston over the years because they had such high Basketball IQ and they had skills that translated well to the NBA.  Even despite this, both players looked pretty bad in the first half of their rookie years, and didn't really show genuine competence until after the All-Star break in their first seasons.

Similar deal with Smart, even though his defense was excellent from day one.

I think Hunter will need at least until the All-Star break (if not a full season) before he gets to the point where he has adjusted to the NBA game well enough to actually really help Boston when he's on the court.

At this point in time, Avery Bradley is still our best, and most proven, player at the SG spot.  He's a 15 PPG guy, he's arguably out best outside shooter, and he's a former All-Defensive team selection.

In time (maybe 1 or 2 years from now) I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see either Rozier or Hunter pass Bradley, but not yet.

Fair points, as usual crimson. TP.

[max215]

At the end of the day Hunter is a rookie, it's going to take time before he's ready to make an impact in the NBA.

Look at Sully and KO - they were honestly two of the most NBA ready draftees we've had in Boston over the years because they had such high Basketball IQ and they had skills that translated well to the NBA.  Even despite this, both players looked pretty bad in the first half of their rookie years, and didn't really show genuine competence until after the All-Star break in their first seasons.

Similar deal with Smart, even though his defense was excellent from day one.

I think Hunter will need at least until the All-Star break (if not a full season) before he gets to the point where he has adjusted to the NBA game well enough to actually really help Boston when he's on the court.

At this point in time, Avery Bradley is still our best, and most proven, player at the SG spot.  He's a 15 PPG guy, he's arguably out best outside shooter, and he's a former All-Defensive team selection.

In time (maybe 1 or 2 years from now) I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see either Rozier or Hunter pass Bradley, but not yet.

Avery Bradley is our best 3pt shooter? I think I just vomited in my mouth a little bit.

Percentage-wise, Jerebko and Johnson shot better from three last season.  Thomas shot worse with the Celtics, but had a higher 3P% overall when you include his time in Phoenix.

Thanks for the info, TP.

[greece66]

Starting is not as important in the C's. We certainly ain't the Clippers or the Cavs who have a group of elite players getting most of the mins.

For those who followed last season, the gap in mins between starters and bench players was much smaller than in most other teams. (Ah, do you remember all this whining about CBS's rotations at the start of the year  )

[KeepRondo]

RJ will probably be a SF and not SG.

[IDreamCeltics]

RJ will probably be a SF and not SG.

I second this.

[jpotter33]

I like RJ being the primary 2 off of the bench, with Young and Rozier spending most of their time in Maine.

[Hawkeye199]

RJ will probably be a SF and not SG.

Hey does not have nearly enough weight on him to be a sf

[Sketch5]

Starting is not as important in the C's. We certainly ain't the Clippers or the Cavs who have a group of elite players getting most of the mins.

For those who followed last season, the gap in mins between starters and bench players was much smaller than in most other teams. (Ah, do you remember all this whining about CBS's rotations at the start of the year  )

Yeah, the way I can see Stevens  laying out the team, is more of a hockey mentality. First squad sets the pace, second group sets an other, then he'll mix and match to who ever is making an impact, but always keeping guys fresh for the end of the games, when the other team starts loosing their legs. It's how you can beat teams with the better players.

Look at the finals. Lebron was the best player on the floor, and yeah I think with Irving it could have ended differently, but Lebron couldn't keep up with the pace GSW played with the deep bench.