Is it too Early to Give up on R.J. Hunter?

R.J. Hunter is still a rookie, but it may already be time to put the ‘Bust’ label on him

R.J. Hunter has had a weird path in the NBA so far. The 28th overall pick out of Georgia State has seen some playing time with the Boston Celtics, but hasn’t seen a consistent stretch of minutes, yet. Despite not having a role on the Celtics, he has only appeared in five games for the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics D-League affiliate.

Hunter was a college standout at Georgia State, most notable for hitting the game-winning three to upset Baylor in the first round of March Madness last year. He averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game during his junior year. He also led the Sun Belt in total points, free-throw percentage, and win shares.

Hunter shot up the draft board following a good couple of games in the NCAA tournament. He was seen as a possible lottery pick but almost fell to the second round on draft night. At the time it seemed like a quality pick for the Celtics. They added another shooter with solid defense to their bench, who supposedly could have made an impact right away.

However, the biggest misconception about Hunter is his shooting. Hunter led the Sun Belt conference in 2013-14 with 100 three-pointers made, but only made 80 during his junior year. The biggest decrease was in his three-point percentage though. Hunter shot a very good 39.5 percent from behind the arc during his sophomore year, but it fell drastically to 30.5 percent during his junior year, and he only shot 39.5 percent from the field.

The idea that Hunter could come in and be a three-point threat right away was kind of crazy, if you think about it. Maybe it’s hindsight bias, or maybe the stats don’t lie. A lot of players, especially from smaller schools, make a name for themselves during March Madness. It’s a way to put them on the map and to help raise their draft stock. Kenneth Faried of Morehead State is a perfect example of this. Hunter and Faried both probably would have been drafted without their great performances in the big dance, however, it helped their draft stock a lot.

In the NBA, Hunter’s shooting has only gotten worse. It’s not a surprise as the three-point line is longer, the NBA game is faster, and he doesn’t get as many shots due to less playing time and opportunities compared to when he was the star player at Georgia State.

In the D-League, Hunter has struggled despite getting a good run in his five appearances with Maine. In 35.9 minutes per game, he contributed 16.6 points, five rebounds, four assists, and 2.4 steals per game. However, his 33.8 field goal percentage and 29.3 three-point percentage left a lot of people scratching their head. It was good to see his offensive and defensive ability, but it’s also easy to score 16 points on 15 shots when the coach is telling everyone to get you as many shots as possible.

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In 26 appearances this season for the Celtics, Hunter has not been bad, he’s been atrocious. He has averaged 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 fouls in 9.7 minutes per game. He is 25-77 from the field, a terrible 32.5 percent, and 12-51 from behind the arc, a dreadful 23.5 percent from three during his rookie campaign. Despite being second in the Sun Belt conference last year in steals, he has not shown that same defensive talent in the NBA. Besides, he was drafted as a shooter, not as a defensive specialist. If his shot never develops but his defense does, he will most likely be traded considering the depth they have on the wing, defensively.

Hunter has gotten the most opportunities out of all the Celtics’ rookies this season because the Celtics were hoping he would be the offensive minded wing player they’ve been looking for. He has recorded 15 or more minutes seven times this season, but only has a season high of 12 points, the only time he eclipsed 10 points this season.

There was one stretch in late December where Hunter saw at least 18 minutes in four consecutive games. In those games he combined to shoot 8-21 from the field, 4-14 from behind the arc, and total 22 points and seven rebounds. His inability to find any sort of shot, or create turnovers over that stretch was tough to watch and started the “bust” conversation, if it wasn’t already being discussed.

Since the start of the new year, Hunter has only appeared in seven games for the Celtics, and has yet to score. Hunter may only see a couple of minutes here and there, but in garbage time he has to show the ability to either create shots for himself or knock down a jumper. Going 0-8 from the field in that span only hurts his confidence and the confidence Brad Stevens has in him.

Hunter’s struggles were most obvious in the Celtics’ recent victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Hunter was subbed in during the third quarter when the Celtics led by 17. In the four minutes he played he recorded no stats, missed his only shot, and had a plus/minus of minus four. He didn’t get a lot of playing time, obviously, but it was enough to see he looked uncomfortable on the court and wasn’t going to make any sort of impact on the game in a positive way.

The fact of the matter is Hunter has not gotten as big of an opportunity as some rookies around the league, however, he has gotten more playing time than Terry Rozier or Jordan Mickey, and has done nothing with it. The fact that his shooting has been so poor in the NBA and D-League has a lot of fans, including myself, worried. If Hunter turns into a defensive specialist then he won’t be considered a total bust, although with the wing depth that the Celtics own, it wouldn’t do them much good.

Next: What's Wrong with the Celtics' Defense?

Hunter was drafted to be a shooter and despite his rookie season not even over yet, it’s not too early to talk about him being a bust. He hasn’t shown the ability to be comfortable in the NBA or knock down shots at any level. Maybe he needs more playing time, but he won’t get it in the crowded backcourt the Boston Celtics have.