does rj hunter influence 3rd pick-how good is rj

[Celtics4ever]

Hunter would be fine if he learned how to shoot.   He was a volume scorer in college.   His shot was not that good when we took him.   I would have loved to see his three point numbers from his workout last year.

[timpiker]

From what I've seen so far, RJ and Young's biggest strengths are their age. 

[Ed Hollison]

From what I've seen so far, RJ and Young's biggest strengths are their age.

Interestingly enough RJ Hunter is about 2 years older than James Young (22 vs 20).

You can't give up on these guys too soon, and Hunter is a good example. I actually think the problem in his game last year was that other offensive skills besides shooting were missing. He hasn't quite learned to "get off his shot" in the NBA yet. So most of his open looks didn't really seem that open. Once he learns to drive to the hoop, make plays off the dribble, etc. then I think you'll see him start to get more open from the perimeter and that 3pt% will rise.

Meanwhile I think he has the tools to become a good defender. Long arms, moves his feet well even though he's not a tremendous athlete, knows where to be, plays with good technique, etc.

[rollie mass]

rj said he had to work on strength and conditioning-this isn't sarcasm but sitting the bench all year ,travelling with sporadic practice would sap anyone-he had a shoulder problem and i watched him sub himself in maine, seemed like he was winded or sick-
-his stats showed him shooting at elite level from deep 3 probaly felt more comfortable than on close outs or being tightly guarded-
he did look like he was rushing his shot at times
rj did well in agility drills ,so this summer in gym is critical
-i think shooters have alot of adjusting to do on defence as a rookie-

[CoachBo]

I have no idea what Ainge was thinking when he wasted a pick on this guy.

He is every bit as far away from contributing anything meaningful as James Young. Ghastly waste of a draft pick.

[Evantime34]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGt7_ztmIaZ/

I'm happy he's working on his shooting.

It's odd that he was billed as a shooter when he was drafted but he didn't shoot well his last year in college or his first year in the NBA.

 I want to see him working hard to get quality looks when he gets in the game. Too often he would come in cold off the bench and launch a deep 3 pointer, that is no way to get into a shooting rhythm (same issue with James Young).

The thing is we picked him so late, if we get anything out of him it's a bonus. Let's not act like it was a bad pick because he didn't play great in his rookie year.

[primetime]

I have no idea what Ainge was thinking when he wasted a pick on this guy.

He is every bit as far away from contributing anything meaningful as James Young. Ghastly waste of a draft pick.

Agreed that RJ is nowhere near contributing, but disagree he is a waste of a pick. Late first rounders rarely turn into top-end guys, and a history of the #28 pick shows you're lucky to get much of anything.

I chuckle when Forsberg or any of the writers talk about a "war chest of picks" or "treasure trove of assets." Late first rounders aren't worth all that much. Supposedly Danny offered 4 first rounders for Winslow: 2015 #16 and #28 (Rozier and Hunter), and the picks that turned into #16 and #23 this year. I'd make that trade in a second. Late first rounders just don't pan out like people think they should. Second rounders are generally worthless (you get them nonguaranteed, but even with Mickey, we had to guarantee to lock him down). So we have five second rounders this year- big deal. The sixers had 5 last year too...

[colincb]

RJ Hunter may not be an NBA rotation player. Definitely doesn't affect the decision at three.

This.

[kraidstar]

I must have been watching different games than many of the posters here.

Because to me RJ looks like a guy who knows the game of basketball. His defense, awareness, passing, and especially his athleticism were all better than I expected. He can handle the ball without turning it over, his passing is crisp and innovative, he reads rebounds pretty well, his defensive positioning is decent (not perfect, but not bad, considering rookies usually embarrass themselves), and he generally looks like he knows what he's doing. For a rookie he was fairly poised and well-rounded.

To give up on him so early would be stupid. Most rookies are completely awful. Remember Bradley in his first year? It's hard getting dumped into this league, having to learn new sets with new teammates, against incredible competition, all with expectations that you'll come out firing on all cylinders despite spotty minutes - and in this case the C's logjam at guard certainly didn't help Hunter find his rhythm. And still IMO RJ looked better than most.

I think the tools are there. Ultimately his shot falling will determine if he'll be a solid NBA player or not. Unfortunately they weren't last year, and so as a shooting guard that makes things look a lot worse than they might eventually be. But the IQ and work ethic are there, and his issues can be fixed. There is enough skill, IQ, length, and athleticism there to be optimistic.

[rollie mass]

I must have been watching different games than many of the posters here.

Because to me RJ looks like a guy who knows the game of basketball. His defense, awareness, passing, and especially his athleticism were all better than I expected. He can handle the ball without turning it over, his passing is crisp and innovative, he reads rebounds pretty well, his defensive positioning is decent (not perfect, but not bad, considering rookies usually embarrass themselves), and he generally looks like he knows what he's doing. For a rookie he was fairly poised and well-rounded.

To give up on him so early would be stupid. Most rookies are completely awful. Remember Bradley in his first year? It's hard getting dumped into this league, having to learn new sets with new teammates, against incredible competition, all with expectations that you'll come out firing on all cylinders despite spotty minutes - and in this case the C's logjam at guard certainly didn't help Hunter find his rhythm. And still IMO RJ looked better than most.

I think the tools are there. Ultimately his shot falling will determine if he'll be a solid NBA player or not. Unfortunately they weren't last year, and so as a shooting guard that makes things look a lot worse than they might eventually be. But the IQ and work ethic are there, and his issues can be fixed. There is enough skill, IQ, length, and athleticism there to be optimistic.

TP-he was my favorite early season and he came from playing zone-when he was put in
the flow was never disjointed-man he got school'd by korver-a rookie on an old pro-i looked at that instagram and he hit 90% in 12.5 minutes i assume he took a little over 100 3 point shots-thats what wanted to know how good a shot he is and will murray and heild suffer as soon as they face pros and have to play defence--

[hwangjini_1]

I must have been watching different games than many of the posters here.

Because to me RJ looks like a guy who knows the game of basketball. His defense, awareness, passing, and especially his athleticism were all better than I expected. He can handle the ball without turning it over, his passing is crisp and innovative, he reads rebounds pretty well, his defensive positioning is decent (not perfect, but not bad, considering rookies usually embarrass themselves), and he generally looks like he knows what he's doing. For a rookie he was fairly poised and well-rounded.

To give up on him so early would be stupid. Most rookies are completely awful. Remember Bradley in his first year? It's hard getting dumped into this league, having to learn new sets with new teammates, against incredible competition, all with expectations that you'll come out firing on all cylinders despite spotty minutes - and in this case the C's logjam at guard certainly didn't help Hunter find his rhythm. And still IMO RJ looked better than most.

I think the tools are there. Ultimately his shot falling will determine if he'll be a solid NBA player or not. Unfortunately they weren't last year, and so as a shooting guard that makes things look a lot worse than they might eventually be. But the IQ and work ethic are there, and his issues can be fixed. There is enough skill, IQ, length, and athleticism there to be optimistic.

well written and well reasoned. tp for you.

[crimson_stallion]

Absolutely not.

Of the three prospects we added to the roster last year, RJ Hunter is the least promising at this stage, and by a substantial margin.

Consider the highest of those picks was Rozier at #16, that's not saying much.

[crimson_stallion]

I must have been watching different games than many of the posters here.

Because to me RJ looks like a guy who knows the game of basketball. His defense, awareness, passing, and especially his athleticism were all better than I expected. He can handle the ball without turning it over, his passing is crisp and innovative, he reads rebounds pretty well, his defensive positioning is decent (not perfect, but not bad, considering rookies usually embarrass themselves), and he generally looks like he knows what he's doing. For a rookie he was fairly poised and well-rounded.

To give up on him so early would be stupid. Most rookies are completely awful. Remember Bradley in his first year? It's hard getting dumped into this league, having to learn new sets with new teammates, against incredible competition, all with expectations that you'll come out firing on all cylinders despite spotty minutes - and in this case the C's logjam at guard certainly didn't help Hunter find his rhythm. And still IMO RJ looked better than most.

I think the tools are there. Ultimately his shot falling will determine if he'll be a solid NBA player or not. Unfortunately they weren't last year, and so as a shooting guard that makes things look a lot worse than they might eventually be. But the IQ and work ethic are there, and his issues can be fixed. There is enough skill, IQ, length, and athleticism there to be optimistic.

Bradley in his first year had a significant injury, and was playing on a championship contender that also featured the likes of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen at his position.

Hardly comparable to the situation RJ Hunter is in. 

He's not by any means useless and he does some good things on the court, but it's hard to see him being much more then a backup - maybe a Jerebko caliber player at best.

Though to be fair a lack of opportunity to disply his skills does make it hard to judge.

Either way the answer is the same - RJ Hunter isn't influencing what this team does in the summer in any significant way.

[Beat LA]

Absolutely not.

Of the three prospects we added to the roster last year, RJ Hunter is the least promising at this stage, and by a substantial margin.

Consider the highest of those picks was Rozier at #16, that's not saying much.

Idk about that.  Mickey couldn't even get on the court, lol.

[crimson_stallion]

Absolutely not.

Of the three prospects we added to the roster last year, RJ Hunter is the least promising at this stage, and by a substantial margin.

Consider the highest of those picks was Rozier at #16, that's not saying much.

Idk about that.  Mickey couldn't even get on the court, lol.

Mickey couldn't get on the court because we had a veyr obvious (and highly publicised) logjam in the front court. 

RJ Hunter played at the only position we lack depth at (SF) and still barely got playing time.

Mickey has been far better then Hunter when he's been on the court, and he was far better then Hunter both in Summer League and in the D-League.