rj hunter must be kept

[rollie mass]

rj hunter at combine tested well for lane agility and sprint 
,he recently said, he had found something in his positioning of feet that was hurting his defense
for a smart basketball player with some surprising lateral , as the combine lane agility focuses on this and retreating and then did well in sprint beating booker and close on agility
that leaves footwork and experience, that doesn't come from playing zone in college
the kid has rails for legs and i can easily see his problems with screens
the guy is a shooter not a banger
he probably doesn't have that fire on defense because of weight
 but he certainly had it facing booker,
he is a smart kid and experience goes a long way toward helping a defender that has disadvantages- danny wasn't the best getting over screens either
rj has to be kept over young and bentil
he has that length 6-10.5 that allows him to play catch up when beat and again he showed his passing skills at summer league and that deep range on threes while shooting 47%
when ainge drafted him he was a project, hunter puts in the work but experience and weight gain takes time-unless danny or brad see something that can't be overcome, that will keep him from becoming part of a rotation at some point-then rj must be kept
rookie season i believe can be tough on a shooter adjusting to speed of game ,quickness of closeouts,length and deeper three
 all the while having to learn team defense that alot going on to distract ones focus and confidence-even length of season,travel,huge crowds and pressure to win
rj must be kept-there is always another tweener like bentil and young just doesn't have IT

[rollie mass]

rj hunter at combine tested well for lane agility and sprint 
,he recently said, he had found something in his positioning of feet that was hurting his defense
for a smart basketball player with some surprising lateral , as the combine lane agility focuses on this and retreating and then did well in sprint beating booker and close on agility
that leaves footwork and experience, that doesn't come from playing zone in college
the kid has rails for legs and i can easily see his problems with screens
the guy is a shooter not a banger
he probably doesn't have that fire on defense because of weight
 but he certainly had it facing booker,
he is a smart kid and experience goes a long way toward helping a defender that has disadvantages- danny wasn't the best getting over screens either
rj has to be kept over young and bentil
he has that length 6-10.5 that allows him to play catch up when beat and again he showed his passing skills at summer league and that deep range on threes while shooting 47%
when ainge drafted him he was a project, hunter puts in the work but experience and weight gain takes time-unless danny or brad see something that can't be overcome, that will keep him from becoming part of a rotation at some point-then rj must be kept
rookie season i believe can be tough on a shooter adjusting to speed of game ,quickness of closeouts,length and deeper three and all the travelling and longer season,huge crowds and pressure
 all the while having to learn team defense that a lot going on to distract ones focus and confidence-
rj must be kept-there is always another tweener like bentil and young just doesn't have IT
even length of season travel

[nickagneta]

I dont think you will have anything to worry about rollie. The position depth chart of players we all know are going to be kept looks like this:

Isaiah Thomas/Terry Rozier
Avery Bradley/Marcus Smart
Jae Crowder/Gerald Green/Jaylen Brown
Al Horford/Kelly Olynyk/Jonas Jerebko
Amir Johnson/Tyler Zeller

Those are the players that without a doubt are on the team. That leaves:
Demetrius Jackson
James Young
R J Hunter
Ben Bentil
Jordan Mickey

Lets assume no trades. Now Bentil doesnt have a 100% guaranteed contract for next year so he would have to show he is a ton better than Mickey for him to replace Mickey on this squad. Also they are only going to keep 2 undersized PFs on this team at most and with Jerebko on the team that means either Mickey or Bentil is gone. It has to be Bentil.

That leaves an opening ar the PG position and an opening at the SG position. Since Jackson signed a fully guaranteed contract and is a PG, I think he makes it. That leaves Young and Hunter to vie for the final SG slot. Neither Young nor Hunter showed much at the NBA level last year but Young didnt show anything the year before either. Unless Young comes in and shows he now 100% knows the team defense, can play man defense exceptionally well, and can finally look like a shooter on offense, he has to be gone because Hunter at least showed he understood the team defensive concept and an ability to pass. Hunter just has to come into camp and prove he has his shot dropping and he will make the team over Young.

So in my opinion Bentil and Young are gone and Hunter, Jackson, and Mickey make the team.

[feckless]

Too soon for a final verdict on RJ--but he hasn't shown much, with nice court vision being the biggest surprise, more than his shooting.

The guys on the list all are end of the bench players at best.

Whoever steps up in camp should get the spot--if no one steps up Danny should look elsewhere.

[Surferdad]

I dont think you will have anything to worry about rollie. The position depth chart of players we all know are going to be kept looks like this:

Isaiah Thomas/Terry Rozier
Avery Bradley/Marcus Smart
Jae Crowder/Gerald Green/Jaylen Brown
Al Horford/Kelly Olynyk/Jonas Jerebko
Amir Johnson/Tyler Zeller

Those are the players that without a doubt are on the team. That leaves:
Demetrius Jackson
James Young
R J Hunter
Ben Bentil
Jordan Mickey

Lets assume no trades. Now Bentil doesnt have a 100% guaranteed contract for next year so he would have to show he is a ton better than Mickey for him to replace Mickey on this squad. Also they are only going to keep 2 undersized PFs on this team at most and with Jerebko on the team that means either Mickey or Bentil is gone. It has to be Bentil.

That leaves an opening ar the PG position and an opening at the SG position. Since Jackson signed a fully guaranteed contract and is a PG, I think he makes it. That leaves Young and Hunter to vie for the final SG slot. Neither Young nor Hunter showed much at the NBA level last year but Young didnt show anything the year before either. Unless Young comes in and shows he now 100% knows the team defense, can play man defense exceptionally well, and can finally look like a shooter on offense, he has to be gone because Hunter at least showed he understood the team defensive concept and an ability to pass. Hunter just has to come into camp and prove he has his shot dropping and he will make the team over Young.

So in my opinion Bentil and Young are gone and Hunter, Jackson, and Mickey make the team.

Hmm yeah...more or less.  I just can't see Ainge cutting Bentil until he knows what he's got which will be well after training camp.  Young, however, has had numerous chances to show he belongs and he simply hasn't done it consistently.

[ThePaintedArea]

rj must be kept-there is always another tweener like bentil and young just doesn't have IT

 I'm on the fence about RJ. Unlike most posters I see here, the issue is not shooting but his body. What I saw in summer league was a guy you could run offense through, who can break down the defense off the dribble, find guys, make good decisions.  He has a good feel for team defense, too.

But... The body...

I think that James Young has a future in the NBA, but given the current situation it's probably not with Boston.  He has talent, but as you say he doesn't have IT - 🎯

As for Bentil, I agree.

[rollie mass]

painted area-outside of stroke what is it that makes you think he has a future-
rj has some shoulder great length and standing reach but his legs-prince is my closest example of being able to have a long career in nba-
the reason must be kept is that judgments made off rookie year on a shooter who makes an effort to play d and adapt to team defense as well as keep offense continuity while making threes-a lot to ask of a rookie shooter-he kept engaged on the bench
young must be smokin some thing he is off in space--just joking

[ThePaintedArea]

painted area-outside of stroke what is it that makes you think he has a future-

young must be smokin some thing he is off in space--just joking

 He can pass and he has a clue about team defense. His individual defense is behind – he needs to be more aggressive.  He has no business dribbling the ball right now more than one or two dribbles.

 Having said that, let's not diminish the value of shooting – it is the most valuable skill.

So, he has potential as a three and D player in the league.

 As far as the Boston Celtics are concerned – his development and the part of the cycle that the team is in don't correspond. So, while  he probably doesn't make sense for Boston, and while he may be in and out of the league after his rookie contract expires,  there's a good chance that he will  find a home somewhere in the NBA.

 Mostly, it's no fun trying to discuss James Young's game objectively. There's too much echo chamber.

If it's Young vs. RJ, I keep RJ, because you can run offense through him. Like you, I think, I love a guy like Hunter who has skills. But I'm not optimistic; watching him get knocked on his ass repeatedly in summer league was a painful sight.