RJ Hunter putting on weight, trying to reach 205 pounds

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2016/07/rj_hunter_boston_celtics_1.html



Boston Celtics' RJ Hunter putting on weight, trying to reach 205 pounds





Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter (28) (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)



Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on July 20, 2016 at 11:40 AM




This should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen his body type, but R.J. Hunter wants to put on some weight this summer. According to an Instagram post from Boston Celtics strength coach Bryan Doo, the new target weight is 205 pounds.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIBJMFqDSc-/?taken-by=bdoostrength


After measuring in at 185 pounds at the NBA combine last year, Hunter said he gained seven pounds prior to his rookie season. It's not clear exactly what he weighs right now, but based on how he looked in summer league he'll probably need some real work to reach his objective.

If he does achieve the goal, the extra strength would help him deal with NBA wings. Hunter has plenty of court awareness, passing vision and shooting range, but doesn't own enough physicality to maximize his bag of skills. Even against summer league competition, he had trouble creating separation at times because he just didn't drive with enough power. The 22-year-old has a load of length to use on defense, but would be more helpful on that end with more weight to impact bigger guys in the post and off the bounce.


After the regular season, Hunter said he planned to hit the weight room plenty this summer.

"I think just developing my body was the main thing," he said. "I think they saw I have great touch and feel, and smarts for the league. It's just about my body catching up to all that. So that takes time and it takes a lot of dedication and effort, but I'm definitely up for it."

In a promising sign, Hunter hit 11 of 24 3-pointers at summer league (45.8 percent). He entered the NBA with a shooter's reputation, but didn't sink a high percentage of long-distance attempts in either his final college season (when he was the featured player and took a lot of tough shots) or his rookie season (when he was a bit player with limited minutes). The Celtics need shooting, of course, and Hunter's effortless stroke suggests he could develop into a knockdown type of player. He has to prove he can do that while advancing in other stages of the game.

Team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge recently told the Boston Herald what Hunter needs to accomplish to move into the rotation.

"He's in the process of earning a spot in the rotation," Ainge said. "We know he can shoot and we know he's a good passer, and he's fighting hard for an opportunity to play.

"But you've got to work to be good enough at the other elements of the game -- defense, rebounding, strength. You can't just be a shooter; you have to be able to do more. There are a lot of good shooters that aren't in the NBA because they can't do enough on the other end of the court."

Because of Boston's depth, even earning minutes could be tough for Hunter. Evan Turner signed with the Portland Trail Blazers, but Marcus Smart could be due for more minutes, Terry Rozier looks like he deserves a role and Jaylen Brown should get chances to play as a rookie. Hunter needs to improve to have a chance, and the weight room is a good place for him to be.



bob



.

Send him to Sully's home for a couple of weeks.