YOUNG GETTING ON FLOOR MORE FOR CELTICS, INCLUDING KEY FOURTH-QUARTER STINTS

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/young-getting-floor-more-celtics-including-key-fourth-quarter-stints



YOUNG GETTING ON FLOOR MORE FOR CELTICS, INCLUDING KEY FOURTH-QUARTER STINTS



By A. Sherrod Blakely



February 25, 2017 2:48 PM



SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – For most of his life, basketball has come easy to James Young.

So, the idea that in training camp he wasn’t just fighting to get playing time but also to stay in the NBA, was a jarring eye-opener.

To Young’s credit, he rose to the challenge and beat out R.J. Hunter for the Celtics' final roster spot.

And while Young’s playing time has been sporadic, he has done a much better job of maximizing his opportunities.

So, as the Celtics roll into Detroit to face the Pistons, Young finds himself playing his best basketball as a pro, good enough to make coach Brad Stevens not hesitate to put him in the game in the fourth quarter of a close matchup.

“It’s exciting to come back home,” Young, who grew up in nearby Rochester Hills, Mich., told CSNNE.com. “A lot of my family will be there. I’m not thinking about me. I’m just trying to do what I can to help the team.”

And lately, he’s getting an opportunity to do just that beyond being someone who helps in practice.

We saw that in the 107-97 loss at Toronto on Friday. Young came off the bench to play four minutes, 36 seconds in the fourth quarter with only two other Celtics reserves, Marcus Smart (8:39) and Jonas Jerebko (5:10) seeing more action down the stretch.

“It means a lot,” Young said. “He’s starting to trust me a little bit more. That’s a good thing. I’m just trying to do little things; rebound, get defensive stops and score when I get a chance.”

The fact that his scoring is just starting to take shape helps shed some light on why he has been buried so deep on the Celtics bench.

For his first couple seasons, Young seemed a hesitant shooter physically overwhelmed by opponents too strong for him to defend as well as too physical for him to limit their effectiveness.

But this season, he has done a better job at holding his own as a defender while making himself an available scoring option who can play off his teammates.

Young is averaging just 2.9 points per game this season, but he’s shooting a career-high 48.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent on 3’s, which is also a career-high.

Getting on the floor more often has in many ways provided yet another boost of confidence to Young.

“I’m getting used to the flow of the game playing more consistently,” Young said. “I know what to do. It’s slowing up a little more and it’s getting easier.”



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