If Hunter and Young are competing for playing time.....

So far in the summer season, there is no comparison between these two players.

I realize that Young is injured at this time, but there is no question that if these two young guys are going to end up competing for playing time this season that James Young may be headed back to Maine for another season.

Yes, Young may be the more physically gifted of the two, but Hunter is not that terribly that far behind him in this part of the game. AND, he is waaaaaayyyy ahead of Young in just about every other part of the game (driving to the hoop, passing, rebounding, defense, etc, etc) by my very unofficial eyes after five games of summer league action.

Of course, Hunter will have to maintain his fine play to become a consistent contributor (which is not always easy for rookies) to the team's rotation, but he looks like he may be able to do just that. He is certainly not a perfect finished product, but he does so many more things better than James Young that perhaps Young should look for housing in southern Maine before too long.

I think Danny and Brad have to think about moving Young. So, what's the best way of doing that? You could showcase him by giving him minutes, but if he plays poorly does that accomplish the desired effect, and if he pulls his head out of his ass and starts playing well, then why trade him?

I absolutely concur with your assessment of the two. Hunter is showing he is more NBA--ready in his IQ and general game than Young. I realize this is just summer league, but Young isn't looking good against summer league talent either.

I've been down on Young for a while now, but I'm trying to give him some time but Hunter is showing something and Young is not. lf Hunter has a big problem with it's the same problem Young had last year and it's that the NBA is a man's game and Young was undermuscled for it last year and Hunter is VERY undermuscled for it now.


bob



.

The other thing that Hunter has that few NBA players have, let alone Young, is true "inside the gym" range. I can't recall many players who take a thirty footer with confidence. If you want to space the floor get a guy that has the defenders respecting him as soon as he comes over half court. And his movement on the court definitely reflects that coach's son IQ.

Hi,
The only advantage, so far, Young has over Hunter is some NBA experience, IMO.
I don't know what will happen with Hunter in October and beyond, but all indications are in his favor.
Young, on the other hand, after spending a year in D-League and few games with Celtics he still looks like he was drafted a week ago.

AK

I've been saying, for some time, that there's no room on the Celtics for both Young and Hunter; and all evidence until now (including Young's performance last season) suggests that Hunter will make a much better pro perimeter threat and defender than Young.  Young's injury is unfortunate, but I believe the die was cast before that occurred.

Get what you can Danny.  Maybe a throw-in to a team that's excited about his potential.  And I hope he eventually fulfills that potential.  I'm opposed to those who want players traded by the Celtics to fail.  I want the Celtics to be associated with value for value in terms of trades.

Sam

bob,

Since it was you who brought up that Hunter is VERY undermuscled (as of now) for NBA play, let me ask you why you think that so many of these kids do not do something about putting on more muscle before the NBA drafts them?

It is not like this kid (and/or others) made the decision to go to the NBA in June of this year (in other words-right before the draft) and didn't have time to get started on a quality weight training program much sooner. I am sure that he made the decision to turn pro well before the last college season was even starting last Fall. And, why didn't he understand that physical strength was going to be a component to playing well in the NBA?

wide clyde wrote:bob,

Since it was you who brought up that Hunter is VERY undermuscled (as of now) for NBA play, let me ask you why you think that so many of these kids do not do something about putting on more muscle before the NBA drafts them?

It is not like this kid (and/or others) made the decision to go to the NBA in June of this year (in other words-right before the draft) and didn't have time to get started on a quality weight training program much sooner.  I am sure that he made the decision to turn pro well before the last college season was even starting last Fall.  And, why didn't he understand that physical strength was going to be a component to playing well in the NBA?

clyde,

I think it is, in part, because they are so young.  Their bodies haven't filled out yet.  That's not so much true in Hunter's case because he's 21 and has a few years on his peers but in general they are all talent and youth but not the muscle that comes from a workout regimen.  College programs don't mandate a weight lifting program but pro teams, including the Celtics, do.  Also, basketball is a year-round life for the pros.  They take a few weeks off after the end of their season and they're back in the gyms.  BDoo has been working with our guys all summer in Waltham. College kids take off for the summer and spring break, maybe play some pick up games, but aren't living in the weight room. Kelly probably never spent as much time pushing iron as he did last summer and, judging from Sully's problems with his weight, neither was he ever in an enforced regimen where conditioning was not just a good thing but mandatory, defined and heavily supervised.

Also, these kids are coming out early because of the allure of being an NBAer and because the GMs place greater value on a 19 year old than a 21 year old.  Inappropriately, in my opinion, but nevertheless they do.  So, they're drafting underdeveloped, unfinished products.

I know that, in my case, I was extremely active in sports when I was that age and I couldn't put on a pound if my life depended on it.  Some of it is just metabolism.  These kids are in a high speed, low drag sport.


bob



.

I think they're totally absorbed with improving their talents than with improving their physiques.  As far as they're concerned, their current physiques are working just fine, and they encounter just enough physical specimens like themselves to leave them relatively unworried about weight and muscle.  They implicitly figure, why try to fix what's not broken?  And they totally underestimate what they'll be up against when they fact pro-level players.

Sam

I think body chemistry is the major factor. There's a reason, sadly, why so many high school and college kids spend money at GNC (and worse) trying to build muscle.

I think I read that Hunter used to be much skinnier, like 165, maybe before last year when he devoted himself to gaining weight.

I think he's up to 190 now, up from 185 at the Combine in May.

If Hunter and Young are competing for playing time...

...you play Hunter.

On a scale of 1-10, Hunter described his comfort level in the first pre-season game as ".1", or something, and said he's now at 6 or 7.

I think James Young's comfort level is still very low, due to age and confidence. But I haven't seen enough natural feel for the game to make me excited about his production as part of the rotation this year.

Unless Hunter gets hurt.

Hunter is playing extremely well, and shows an amazing feel for the game, in addition to relentless defensive effort and savvy.

Hunter is exactly the type of guy whose draft stock starts dropping during the Combine and workouts, while workout warriors rise. We saw this with Sullinger, although now I suspect his work ethic or lack-there-of was well researched by the 20 teams that passed on him in the draft.

I'm extremely excited about Hunter, and there sure is a roster squeeze as far as keeping James Young and developing him for another year, perhaps with lower expectations than potential starter.

One thing Young has, as he continues to develop physically, is enough size to play the SF spot. For whatever reason, there's positional scarcity as far as small forwards who can shoot from outside. Compared to Evan Turner and Jae Crowder, JY is the better 3 point shooter, and he's shown an improved ability to attack the rim and draw fouls.
As a deep bench backup, we could do a lot worse than a developing James Young.

But if it comes down to Young or Jon Holmes, I'd probably be looking to trade Young for a first round pick and shrugging it off.

If it came down to Young or Evan Turner, I'd have to think real hard, and probably wouldn't make up my mind until the preseason games are well underway.

wide clyde wrote:bob,

Since it was you who brought up that Hunter is VERY undermuscled (as of now) for NBA play, let me ask you why you think that so many of these kids do not do something about putting on more muscle before the NBA drafts them?

It is not like this kid (and/or others) made the decision to go to the NBA in June of this year (in other words-right before the draft) and didn't have time to get started on a quality weight training program much sooner.  I am sure that he made the decision to turn pro well before the last college season was even starting last Fall.  And, why didn't he understand that physical strength was going to be a component to playing well in the NBA?

A lot of it is just metabolism. These kids have just finished growing (and if they are 18 or 19, they might still be growing). It takes a ton of energy to grow taller, and these kids are unusually tall. Christ, when I was in high school, I would eat a whole pizza and large steak and cheese for dinner, and I was a skinny kid with no fat. Once we hit our mid 20s, the metabolism starts to slow down, and we gain weight. Just look around you - young people are beautiful and us older folks less so, and believe me, most of these young'uns are not dieting or working out.