Looking for some reason to actually buy into the James Young hype that is starting again
James Young has been the most frustrating player during his time with the Boston Celtics. They drafted him knowing he was going to be a project, but the waiting has not been the only frustrating part. At just 21 years old Young is still one of the youngest players on the team and clearly needs more time to develop. Where the frustration comes from is that it feels as though every year the Young hype starts somewhere around training camp, only to have him disappear once the season starts.
Right on cue this season, people have been talking about Young since training camp started. Young has felt good at times before, but in a story by Marc D’Amico on NBA.com Young added that this time “It’s very real”. Young feels like there is something different this season, but no one would be faulted for doubting him given his track record.
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One positive sign, however, is some of the areas that Young highlighted this year. D’Amico also noted that Young claimed “I know what I’ve got to do offensively, defensively. I know all of our plays like the back of my hand. I know what the coach is looking for defensively”. Young added these specifics: “I’m grabbing boards, I’m making the right plays and I’m just knocking down shots. Those are the main things, and things have been clicking so far”.
Young was selected by the Celtics because of his offensive potential and he may finally have realized that his potential is not going to get him on the court. The Celtics have given multiple players like Marcus Smart and now Terry Rozier all the time they need to develop offensively, but they need to be making plays that will help them win.
Young brings valuable size to the Celtics’ back court and with how bad they were last year, they could use a rebounding boost for him. When Young mentions “I’m making the right plays”, he is recognizing what needs to be done for their offense as a whole. That offense will include taking plenty of shots, but ball movement and aggressive decision making are the most important qualities.
If Young truly does properly understand the offense for the first time in his career, then maybe this hype is for real. Young is also not just talking about himself in camp. Aggressiveness is key for the Celtics and Jae Crowder had this to say about Young “He’s more aggressive and he’s trying to make stuff happen on the court, both ends of the court”. Young has never properly fit on the court under Stevens, but he appears to be changing that course.
All of this is still in a small sample size in practice arenas, but now would be a great time for Young’s hype to be legitimate for the first time in his career. After losing Evan Turner they desperately need offensive production from their back court on the second unit. Smart and Rozier should both be improved, but if Young can contribute off the bench that could help tremendously.
The Celtics have suspect shooters all over their second unit, and it would be a huge boost if they could trust Young to give them positive minutes. Young will need to earn him way into that rotation, and is likely to have a lot of competition early on.
Young is on the very fringe of a roster spot right now and there is a long ways to go before they make their final decision. Young is still one of the youngest players on the team but the Celtics can only be so patient with him. With Young’s inability to show any development so far in his career, there would have to be drastic improvement this offseason for him to be good enough for a role on the team.
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There is no reason to be confider in Young, but once again there is at least a slight reason to be hopeful. This camp should be telling for Young and so far there is clearly nothing to complain about. Young appears to be earning the trust of his teammates and that could end up being the most important thing.