Joseph's Emergence

by **bobheckler** Sun Oct 21, 2012 3:42 pm

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4698060/showing-something-josephs-emergence

Early last week, with the Celtics' preseason
schedule winding down, rookie Kris Joseph had only two things on his
mind: Staying ready and staying aggressive. Though his opportunities for
lengthy minutes were few and far between to that point, Joseph was
hoping that more chances would come his way, and if they did, he
couldn't let them pass him by.

Flash forward to Thursday's 115-85 exhibition victory over the
Brooklyn Nets, and sure enough, the minutes were available for Joseph,
and he was keen on taking advantage of them. Playing the entirety of
Boston's runaway fourth quarter, Joseph scored 11 points on 5-of-7
shooting and added five rebounds, exhibiting the aggressiveness he
expected out of himself and his coaches wanted to see.

Just days earlier C's head coach Doc Rivers had admitted that Joseph
hadn't accomplished much during the preseason up to that point, but
surely his attention was grabbed as Joseph unleashed a flurry of
activity around the paint, securing offensive rebounds, tipping in
putbacks, and even lining up for a 3-pointer in the waning minutes.

It was easily the most productive stint of Joseph's young NBA
career, and he entered Saturday's rematch with the New York Knicks
determined to build off of it. This time, the game was still very much
on the line when Joseph made his most important plays. With Boston in
the midst of a 20-point comeback and down just three at the start of the
final frame, Joseph pushed ahead on the fast break in the opening
minutes of the fourth, and converted back-to-back 3-point plays in
transition, converting the extra free throw in both instances, to vault
Boston ahead by three. The Celtics used that spark to forge ahead for
good, eventually embarking on a 12-0 run that secured the victory.

Joseph played a preseason-high 26 minutes, finishing with 13 points
on 4-of-6 shooting (5-of-10 from the free throw line) and three
rebounds.

"Kris Joseph was terrific," Rivers said after the game. "He played
great, played with a lot of energy, he did a lot of things -- throwing
the ball ahead to him on the break where he can beat his guy up the
floor. I thought defensively, he was good. And the one thing he has a
knack for is, we talked about before the game, is his rebounding. It's
unbelievable for his position."

Joseph recently survived the first wave of
preseason roster trimming, and Rivers noted after the cuts that Boston
was still very much intrigued by Joseph's potential. Not only has his
considerable athleticism helped him shine in these extra minutes of
late, but he's displayed a toughness under the basket normally reserved
for the true veterans of the NBA. Though he's 6-foot-7, the bulk
typically needed to bash in the paint isn't there for Joseph, but that
hasn't hindered his eagerness to help cause chaos down low, whether it's
been tipping in a teammate's miss, or securing a defensive rebound.

"I love Kris Joseph's game," Jason Terry said after Saturday's win.
"He's been a rookie that's been like a sponge. He's been willing to
listen and learn from the veteran guys, and then, put it, and implement
it into the game. And you've seen that tonight. We've been working with
Kris from day one, and he's a guy that can definitely help us, and he's
going to continue to grow and get better, and he has a long future in
this league."

Though his roster spot isn't guaranteed at this point, after two
successful stints with increased minutes, Joseph has certainly raised
his stock over the last few days. And with Rivers planning to limit the
minutes of his key rotation players for much of Sunday's preseason
finale against the Philadelphia 76ers in Boston, Joseph could have one
last opportunity to really shine through and secure a spot and his
immediate future.

He's done all the right things so far, according to Terry, who, when
asked what advice he would give to a player like Joseph, said: "Just,
'Ears open, mouth shut,' come to work hard every day and compete, and
he's done that."

bob

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