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.
Late in the third quarter, after the Pelicans had trimmed their deficit from 22 to 13, Young raced ahead after a New Orleans make and was rewarded by receiving a long feed as the Pelicans scrambled back. Young used a little hesitation move to get into the paint and produced a nice left-handed finish over Dante Cunningham.
Early in the fourth quarter, Young got switched on to big man Anthony Davis after getting snagged on a pick-and-roll, but managed to use his long arms to deflect a pass back to Davis in the paint. Despite getting twisted around, Young managed to get the loose ball and started a break the other way before feeding Evan Turner for a layup.
Stevens singled out both sequences as key plays in preventing the Pelicans from making a sustained second-half run.
For the season, Young had played only nine minutes in four appearances before Monday’s game. Rookie Hunter had leapfrogged him on Boston’s backcourt depth chart early in the year. Young, the No. 17 pick in the 2014 draft, left some Celtics fans exasperated when he deemed himself unavailable late in a lopsided game last month after sleeping on his shoulder wrong.
James Young to the rescue? Crediting a guy with a 4 point, 3 rebound, 2 assist, and 1 steal stat line seems crazy, especially in an 18 point victory. But we all know how delicate momentum can be in the NBA. And with Young fading into obscurity, anything that revives those sweet dreams of his potential is noteworthy.
I wanted to leave this Dump with a good feeling about James, but then I came across the nugget about sleeping wrong on his shoulder. I don’t recall hearing about that one. Smh…
Related links: CSNNE – Young makes most of his minutes | Globe – Young working way into rotation
On Page 2, Avery Bradley’s improvement, by the numbers.
Avery Bradley ranks in the 90th %ile in scoring efficiency this season up from the 58th last season. A closer look: pic.twitter.com/MgW0ZGRuFC
— Synergy Sports Tech (@SynergySST) December 8, 2015
Advanced analytics hurt my brain but I’m willing to delve into the abyss when the numbers back up what my eyes are witnessing – Avery Bradley is making a jump.
I’m not sure if it’s the jump, but the kid is trending in the right direction.
And finally, a KG throwback dunk.
That’s the KG hat trick. Defensive rotation, dunk, and technical foul for taunting.
The rest of the links
Herald – Perk sees only upside in old team | Celtics leave Pelicans for the birds | CSNNE – Celtics close out trip with win over NO | Globe – Sullinger, Thomas help Cs overpower Pelicans
