The fact that the rookies are already contributing says a lot about Stevens

[i believe in brad]

Rj needs to hit his shots consistently than he is a good solid rotation player.  I was very impressed with all aspects of his game all year EXCEPT he wasn't hitting shots.  Funny thing is as far as I was concerned he came in as a scorer.
Rozier looks to me like he'll be the wave good bye to another guard, be it Isiah, Marcus or Avery (put those three first names together, we have odd names on this squad!). I feel next year rozier will be pushing for quality minutes

Why can't we keep 4 solid guards on our team?  It's not like all 4 do the same things:

-Isaiah is a ball handler, hits shots, gets to the rim, can play off-ball
-Avery is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, has a good jumper, improving in other aspects (driving to hoop and finishing/kicking out)
-Marcus/Rozier are the 2 with similar skillsets, but not exactly the same.  Marcus already a great defender, I think Rozier has the tools to be one.  Both bring energy and hit the boards.  Rozier's jumper looks to be better than Smart's at the moment but Smart has a knack for hitting the big shot.

With guards being such a big part of the current NBA, why not keep 4 good-to-great ones around to help us?  Especially when you consider the contracts these guys are on for foreseeable future.

[CoachBo]

No Avery.  No KO.  Marcus can't shoot.

It says that he's out of options.

Indeed. Hunter can't guard a chair. The suggestions in this thread that he's making key defensive plays are absurd.

[clover]

Watching Rozier brings back glimpses of 06-07 when Rondo was a rookie. Yes, I realize Rondo proved a lot more then than Rozier has this year (basically what LarBrd was saying with Booker), but to see a guy so athletic also have such great rebounding instincts and, dare I say, a knock-down three from the corner almost gives me chills.

A lot of us were like, "Who?" when Rozier's name was called on draft night and thought he made up for it by drafting RJ and Mickey later on, but clearly Ainge knew something a lot of us didn't.

I am obviously jumping ahead a bit and Rozier may fizzle out into nothing, but he seems to have produced when given minutes, and that is all you can ask for from a [young] rookie.

One question we should be asking is, does his emergence make a trade of Smart or Bradley more palatable? Still too early to tell, I suppose...

Presumably easier for Rondo to get minutes on a 24-win team.

[alldaboston]

No Avery.  No KO.  Marcus can't shoot.

It says that he's out of options.

Indeed. Hunter can't guard a chair. The suggestions in this thread that he's making key defensive plays are absurd.

Actually, I'm pretty sure Hunter could guard a chair. Since, you know, they don't move.

On a more serious note, yeah Hunter was bad in Game 2, but he had to guard Korver, one of the best 3 point shooters of all time. He's long and if he bulks up a bit I think he can be a decent defender in the NBA. Not great (so you don't twist my words/put words in my mouth), but a decent defender.

[CoachBo]

No Avery.  No KO.  Marcus can't shoot.

It says that he's out of options.

Indeed. Hunter can't guard a chair. The suggestions in this thread that he's making key defensive plays are absurd.

Actually, I'm pretty sure Hunter could guard a chair. Since, you know, they don't move.

On a more serious note, yeah Hunter was bad in Game 2, but he had to guard Korver, one of the best 3 point shooters of all time. He's long and if he bulks up a bit I think he can be a decent defender in the NBA. Not great (so you don't twist my words/put words in my mouth), but a decent defender.

When he quits biting on penetration EVERY SINGLE TIME, he might be decent.

He is a wildly sub-par defender who shouldn't be on the floor in the playoffs.

[Greyman]

While it is good to see Rozier impressing, I am glad CBS has given most of AB's and KO's minutes to players who are in the regular playing roster (Jonas and Turner). I know this is also to free up IT by using Turner as a ball handler but they are also the guys who should be able to step up.

There are still dangers of rushing the young players and expecting too much. I hope Rozier keeps proving himself and I hope others can also. The playoffs isn't the time to start depending on them too much though.

[passesofftodj]

Rozier has stepped up and should have had more time this year.  RJ is not ready for big games, his defense in particular has been bad in the playoffs and he has contributed little offensively.

[mctyson]

This is a good post because I believe it is central to why Danny brought in Brad Stevens versus bringing in another veteran NBA coach. 

One thing that the Popovich Spurs have taught the league, in my opinion, is that the development of home grown players is essential to building a long lasting, dominant franchise.  Yes they lucked into Duncan, and it is likely that he would have one at least 1 title with any team in the NBA.  But 5...and over almost 20 years...and with many opportunities to win more?  That's because he was supplemented with players who were drafted - and DEVELOPED - by Popovich.

You can seen that in Stevens and in Ainge.  They care about player development (unlike Doc, who just wants and All-Star roster). 

[clover]

While it is good to see Rozier impressing, I am glad CBS has given most of AB's and KO's minutes to players who are in the regular playing roster (Jonas and Turner). I know this is also to free up IT by using Turner as a ball handler but they are also the guys who should be able to step up.

There are still dangers of rushing the young players and expecting too much. I hope Rozier keeps proving himself and I hope others can also. The playoffs isn't the time to start depending on them too much though.

TRoz's minutes are up more than ET's. But yeah, JJ's got the lion's share of the added playing time. Part of that is in replacement of a good chunk of Sully's playing time too.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Funny enough, I think that of the 3 rookies Mickey is the one least likely to stick in the NBA (despite the obsession with him on this board). His size is likely to be an issue -- he lacks the offensive skill set to be effective as a stretch 4, he struggled to defend guards on switches in college, and he's small to be defending in the post.

Rozier, though, has shown a lot the past 2 games. His athleticism is off the charts, his size doesn't seem to be as big of an issue as I expected, and (if nothing else) his defense should keep him around in some capacity.

Despite Hunter falling out of the rotation, and getting beat off the dribble often... he has good instincts, his length is helpful on defense, and I just don't think he's figured out how he fits in offensively yet. Seems he was mislabeled a "shooter" and is naturally more of a scorer.

[JBone4eva]

Rozier was fearless and clutch (if you believe in clutchness) at Louisville. Played like an upperclassman as a freshman. Fun to watch too when he doesn't try to force things and go hero ball.

Rozay has the clutch gene, I'm convinced of it.  Did you see him in Summer league? he made some amazing plays under pressure, I think there's a good chance he's one of those guys who really locks in when the pressure is on (I believe Evan Turner is the same).

[RockinRyA]

Watching Rozier brings back glimpses of 06-07 when Rondo was a rookie. Yes, I realize Rondo proved a lot more then than Rozier has this year (basically what LarBrd was saying with Booker), but to see a guy so athletic also have such great rebounding instincts and, dare I say, a knock-down three from the corner almost gives me chills.

A lot of us were like, "Who?" when Rozier's name was called on draft night and thought he made up for it by drafting RJ and Mickey later on, but clearly Ainge knew something a lot of us didn't.

I am obviously jumping ahead a bit and Rozier may fizzle out into nothing, but he seems to have produced when given minutes, and that is all you can ask for from a [young] rookie.

One question we should be asking is, does his emergence make a trade of Smart or Bradley more palatable? Still too early to tell, I suppose...

Apparently GS was also targetting Rozier.

[crimson_stallion]

Funny enough, I think that of the 3 rookies Mickey is the one least likely to stick in the NBA (despite the obsession with him on this board). His size is likely to be an issue -- he lacks the offensive skill set to be effective as a stretch 4, he struggled to defend guards on switches in college, and he's small to be defending in the post.

Rozier, though, has shown a lot the past 2 games. His athleticism is off the charts, his size doesn't seem to be as big of an issue as I expected, and (if nothing else) his defense should keep him around in some capacity.

Despite Hunter falling out of the rotation, and getting beat off the dribble often... he has good instincts, his length is helpful on defense, and I just don't think he's figured out how he fits in offensively yet. Seems he was mislabeled a "shooter" and is naturally more of a scorer.

See, I just don't get really get any of these conclusions. 

Mickey is 6'8" and a trim/cut 235 pounds.  That's quite strong for an NBA PF.  While his height is limited, he's no shorter then other sucessful NBA bigs (Bass, Millsap, Draymond Green).  Like some of those guys he has an incredibly long wingspan (7'3") and outstanding athleticism/mobility.

Add to that his ability to hit the midrange jumper (and potential to stretch out to three point range) along with excellent rebounding ability and elite shotblocking instincts, and he is pretty close to the prototypical PF in today's NBA. 

I don't at all see the size criticism here.  Amir Johnson is only 6'9" (one inch taller) and is far skinnier then mickey with nowhere near the length, and he's a fantastic role player PF in this league.

[alewilliam789]

I quite honestly love Rozier's game. The problem Smart has is when he's covering quick guards. You can visibly see when he's guarding Teague that Teague's change of pace ability is far better than Smart's. RoIer has just shown a better ability at cover PGs and playing point guard. He needs to tighten up that handle though because he's been struggling with that. While stats probably don't show that Rozier is a better finisher, I believe he just has a better all around touch than Smart who bullied his way through every level of competition besides the NBA. Rozier shows a better pull up, he's a better spot shooter, in certain situation (covering Schoeder) he's better defensively because he's quicker. I think he should get more minutes just because he's a better spot up shooter than Smart. Somebody gave me a Reggie Jackson comparison and that is a perfect one. Believe it or not Darren Collinson is a good one for Rozier too.

[rollie mass]

 avery has it ,macus has it
in todays nba with the amount of screens
you have to be elite getting over the top
 avery has timing and darts over and sort of slithers at times
marcus uses his strength and leverage,sometimes lowering his shoulders and coming up
rozier gets hung up,somtimes like wily coyote-flattened like he hit a wall-
marcus also has the ability to draw the offensive foul on screener
rozier should watch those two