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Your Morning Dump… Brad Stevens says we’re going to see a lot more James Young

Chuck - Red's Army February 3, 2015 James Young, The Morning Dump 12 Comments

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“I think we’re going to see him sooner rather than later for us,” Stevens said of the 19-year-old Young. “A lot more than we have.”

Stevens has steadfastly stuck to a belief that playing time must be earned not delivered. But in the aftermath of in-season trades that recently sent out Boston’s top offensive threats, the Celtics endured a month of January in which they ranked 22nd in the league in offensive rating while averaging a mere 99.2 points per 100 possessions. Boston’s effective field goal (16th) and true shooting (18th) percentages were both in the back half of the league.

Regardless of the path that Boston navigates, we’re likely to see more of the No. 17 pick in June’s draft. Yes, he’s more likely to see increased time if the Celtics ship out the veteran bodies in front of him on the depth chart (Marcus Thornton, Tayshaun Prince), but he’s shown enough in the D-League to justify a longer look with the parent squad.

Which is why Young received his first first-quarter playing time of the season Sunday as Boston struggled to put points on the board early against Miami. Young ended up playing a mere nine minutes, scoring three points on 1-of-2 shooting with three rebounds. Even with veteran Prince unable to play due to a hip flexor, Stevens leaned on his core rotation when Boston rallied behind some inspired second-half defense.

ESPN Boston

I think Brad Stevens likes to torment the James Young fan club. But this now you see him, now you don’t routine with Young is getting old.

Maybe Young has bad defensive habits that Stevens just can’t get him to shake. But my motto is… learn on the job.

For those hoping Tayshaun Prince’s days are numbered, consider this from Yahoo’s Marc Spears:

It’s unlikely the Celtics will be able to trade veteran forward Tayshaun Prince before the trade deadline, a source said.

Injuries could also open up some playing time for Jimmy. Both Avery Bradley and Evan Turner are dealing with thumb injuries:

… a fracture in his left (non-shooting) thumb in Sunday’s 83-75 loss to Miami isn’t expected to slow him down.

“It’s been messed up,” said Bradley who added, “but its fine; it’s not my shooting hand so I’ll be okay.”

That said, the 6-foot-2 guard is expected to play on Tuesday against the New York Knicks.

He joins fellow backcourt mate Evan Turner who is playing with a right thumb injury.

The thumb injuries to some degree explain why Boston’s starting backcourt has been more inconsistent than usual to produce offensively of late.

I’d give Turner 3 weeks off to rest his thumb.

On Page 2, the Celtics own the city’s longest championship drought.

Much has been made over the past few years about the Patriots owning Boston’s longest championship drought. Despite the presence of Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and others who were instrumental to the Pats’ three titles in the 2000s, they have held that dubious distinction since the Bruins’ Stanley Cup title in 2011.

But with the Patriots finally capturing that fourth Super Bowl Sunday night, it’s a little shocking to see who holds that mantle now. For the first time in their storied history, the 17-time World Champion Celtics own the longest title drought in Boston.

The Celtics haven’t won a championship since way back in 2008, which must make every other fan base in America feel oh so sorry for them.

SI.com

I hate to say it, but the Celtics are at least 3-5 years away from winning another championship. And 3 years is only remotely possible if Danny Ainge is able to lure or nab TWO big name players via free agency or trade.

The Patriots remain the favorites, followed by the Bruins, Red Sox and C’s.

WCVB created this cool graphic depiction of the titles:

The rest of the links:

ESPN Boston – Dawkins signed to second 10 day deal | Globe – C’s slow starts are frustrating and puzzling

KGino

I can wait 3 years after that Pats victory. With all the crap/noise people talked about them, and to beat THAT defense in that way, and with what it means for Brady/Belichick’s legacies, I don’t think I’ve ever been so satisfied by a championship in my lifetime (and that includes the Almighty Boston Celtics)
- bill_nair
  
  To add to the Belichick legacy, this was the youngest team to ever win a super bowl. Im no Pats fan but i’ve always been a fan of Bill and glad he added another 1 to his collection.
Jake Gruber

To me, as much as I thought and still think I like Brad Stevens, this is an instance of a coach getting in someone’s way. As you said, I understood not immediately putting him in the lineup at the beginning of the season, but this really has gone on too long.

For whatever reason, this seems to happen to shooters with great frequency in basketball. It happened to me when I played, and I’ve seen it happen to many of my friends. I just don’t understand why shooters are forced to “prove” their worth SO much more than any other type of player is. It seems like if any other type of player proved his worth, he stays atop of the depth chart and has an incredibly long leash. It takes less for him to prove his worth, and once he does, he remains there.

Shooters on the other hand, despite their obvious importance, for whatever reason have to do WAY more to prove their importance to certain coaches, and have to have some un-heard of, remarkable ability to play well every single possession of every single night.

Again, this is partly me venting about my experiences (and my friends’ experiences) but partly what I have observed watching basketball as well. Thoughts anyone?
- MikeABQ
  
  I think the main reason Young’s minutes have been so limited are because he has so far to go on defense- which is understandable because he is still 19. And I think that is always one of the things that can be noticed much more in practice than we have the ability to see. More game time will certainly help, but he has been a huge liability on that end of the floor.
  
  To your point about about shooters having to prove their worth, I think its a matter of what they bring to table. If a player is labeled as a solid defender or rebounder/shotblocker as a rookie, maybe it is just easier to depend on than a shooter who could be hot or cold when he gets put in
  - MikeABQ
    
    And for the record, I would love to see more James Young, hopefully marcus thorton gets moved and frees up some time for him
- bill_nair
  
  I guess it’ll be arguing semantics (which im not trying to do) but shooters are just that, shooters who role is to hit 3’s. Until they prove they can do more than shoot they wont get off the floor.
  
  AB coming out of high school was known as a good shooter and scorer. Im sure he shot lights out in the practices we never saw, but what was it that got him minutes? For Young, until he can prove hes more than an elite D-league shooter hes gonna get inconsistent minutes, and rightfully so.
  
  When you say shooters I think of House, Korver, Novak. The reason Korver is a starter and the other 2 weren’t is because other than being an elite shooter he can actually defend 2’s and 3’s adequately.
  
  On the flip side, if your a big who can hit the 3 you can be a sieve at everything else and get consistent minutes.
bill_nair

So that means Young we’ll start consistently playing 8 minutes a game? Sweet.

I wouldn’t mind keeping Tyshaun the rest of the season. The team responds well when hes on the floor. Another professional for the young guys to learn from.
RedsLoveChild

Havlicek and Bird—whose altars we all worship at—each made legendary steals when they intercepted passes in `65 and `87.

Those two do NOT even rate compared to Malcolm Butler`s interception “steal” on Sunday!
BIG_HITTA1

“But this now you see him, now you don’t routine with Young is getting old.” Truer words have never been spoken. I’ve said it here before, Young should be getting a minimum of 30 mins PER GAME!!! Why do they keep sending this kid to ME (of all places!!!). Stevens and/or Ainge need to get their head out of their a_s on this one.
MatthewWilding

? The Red Sox are below the Bruins for favorites to win a title next?
Finks

Just to note, the 90’s were the only decade where New England laid an egg and had zero championships. Yeah that was my teenage decade and why I was a Skins and …. Pacers fan…. Don’t get me started on my Reggie Miller man crush. Nowadays of course it’s all about the dynasty that is the 6 states that make New England such a powerhouse in sports in the 21st century.
Hex Effect

In the rich history and success of the Boston Celtics there has only been one instance where they’ve gone more than two decades without a championship. Losing two franchise players to that tragically died definitely crippled the team for years. Stupid FO hirings didn’t help either (Pitino, Wallace, Gaston, ugh!). We were almost as embarrassing as the Knicks but Danny Ainge saved us from becoming a doormat in 2007. From 2003 till 2007 isn’t that bad of a rebuild and now we are actually in a MUCH better position to contend. A surplus of picks, expiring contracts, TPEs, promising young players. I’m happy for the Pats but the most successful team in Boston ARE the Celtics!