Celtic Rookies Settle in During First Week of Practice

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C’s Rookies Settle in During First Week of Practice

Posted: Oct 02, 2015



By Taylor C. Snow |  @Celtics
Celtics.com
October 2, 2015




WALTHAM, Mass. – R.J. Hunter admits, when he walked into the gym in Waltham for his first official Celtics practice last weekend, his nerves were through the ceiling.

He tried his best to cover them up.

“You dream of being in the NBA,” Hunter said earlier in the week. “In your first NBA practice you don’t want to be the deer in the headlights.”

He later added, "One thing I can’t control is my nerves sometimes, so you just gotta play through that and get those out of the way. But once day one was over I was comfortable, so I’m good now.”

Fellow rookie Jordan Mickey experienced similar anxiety, but he says that being surrounded by a supportive veteran cast has helped him get through the week.

“Just the encouragement of the veterans, they always tell you everything is going to be rough at first,” Mickey said before hitting the court for Friday’s practice. “They said, ‘It will take some time, but don’t get down on yourself.’”

Coach Brad Stevens said one key for these guys getting through this trying early stage is to simply be patient.

“They’ve got a lot going on in their minds right now and you really do throw a lot at them in the first few days,” said Stevens. “It’s just getting to that point where you’re doing things almost unconsciously instead of thinking about everything; that takes a while.”

The rest of the Celtics squad knows exactly what Stevens is talking about. There are 13 other guys on the roster who have gone through the same experience of plowing through the daunting first week of training camp as a wide-eyed rookie.

That means there are 13 players here in Boston that have advice to offer to the youngsters.

“If they have questions or anything, we’re here to help,” Isaiah Thomas articulated at Media Day on Sept. 25. “I’ve been in their shoes before … Like I told them, ‘If you need anything, whether it’s off the court, on the court, I’m here to help.’ We’re willing to make it as easy as possible for the rookies.”

Terry Rozier, Boston’s top pick from the 2015 NBA Draft, says every player has had valuable advice to offer, specifically naming Avery Bradley and Amir Johnson as two of his early mentors.

“Amir Johnson is always talking about things you need to do off the court, sticking to a routine, that type of thing,” Rozier elaborated. “These guys are very helpful, very resourceful and I’m very grateful to have them here to look out for me.”

It’s obvious that the rookies are appreciative for the presence of the Celtics’ veterans. What may be surprising is that the veterans are throwing that respect right back at them.

“With the youth comes a lot of energy, comes a lot of competitiveness,” said David Lee, the eldest member of the C’s. “There’s been some very spirited practices thus far and that’s always fun.”

Each of the three C’s draft picks have impressed a wide-range of members from the organization.

Danny Ainge commended Rozier, saying the quick, athletic guard “has looked fantastic in training camp and has really caught the eyes of all the veteran players … They’re all talking about him.”

There’s a lot of talk surrounding Hunter, as well. Evan Turner has gone up against him in one-on-one situations during practice and says the 6-foot-5 sharpshooter is very competitive.

“He’s poised and he’s got a good shooting stroke,” said Turner. “Coming in with a reputation as a shooter is never easy because people are going to start guarding him as soon as he hits the parking lot. But he’s made some tough shots and I think he’ll be even better as he goes on.”

And then there’s Mickey, who Brad Stevens, on multiple occasions, has called the best shot-blocker and rim protector on the team.

Mickey said Stevens’ praise is “a big boost of confidence.”

Similarly, Rozier was lifted by Ainge’s plaudit.

“That builds on my confidence that I already have,” said Rozier. “It’s special to hear from guys who have been around this game for a while and know a lot. That definitely keeps me going, but I just got to stick to what I do and stay true to myself and keep working.”

The three rooks will have plenty of opportunities to keep working when they head off to Europe Friday night. They will make stops in Milan and Madrid, respectively, where they are expected to participate in their first NBA preseason games.

None of the three have ever been to Europe. In fact, Mickey and Rozier have never even stepped foot off of United States soil.

It will be yet another new experience for the rookies, and above all, it will provide additional time for them to grow more comfortable as members of the Celtics.



bob
MY NOTE:  Nice talk, we'll see how it translates onto the court.  I keep reminding myself that none of these 3 have ever laced up an NBA sneaker.  I also remind myself that everybody says nice things about rookies in the beginning, to boost their confidence.  I remind myself that Brad, of all people, always says nice things about players and rarely if ever says something negative in public about an individual player.  Having said that I still can't help but feel good about these three.  Each of them have special skills and each of them looked quite good in summer league.  Yeah, I also remind myself that summer league is a step below D-league in terms of talent, but they played like they belong.

Our ball handlers consist of IT, Turner, Rozier and Smart.  One injury and Rozier is in, or if they need a better, quick defender than IT.  He'll get some minutes this year.
Our wings consist of Bradley, Young and Hunter.  Hunter should be ahead of Young in the depth chart by the all-star game.  I doubt Young can play 2 or 3.  I expect Hunter to get some minutes this year.
Our swings consist of Crowder, Perry Jones III, Jerebko.  If PJ3 gets cut, then we're thin here.
Our bigs consist of Lee, Amir, Zeller, Kelly, Sully, Mickey.  Mickey will have trouble getting minutes unless he can play 3.  If PJ3 doesn't make the cut, then he might get a chance.

The first pre-season game is Tuesday, October 6th @ 2 PM EDT.  I don't expect to see these 3 get a lot of minutes in this game, I expect Brad will want to see his primary players, the first 10 or 11, play together to see how well they mesh.  Maybe they'll get some time against Real Madrid on Thursday @ 3 PM EDT.  The 2015-2016 Game On threads are found on the home page.



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