What should the Celtics expect from a post-hype James Young?
Arguably no Celtics player generated more buzz at the start of the summer than James Young.
The 6-foot-6 shooting guard was buried on the bench and in the D-League for the final two months of his rookie season but bulked up recently, adding 20 pounds to his slender frame. Both Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens also raved about the progress made by the 19-year-old in offseason workouts during the spring.
This hype led to high expectations for Young during Summer League action in Utah and Las Vegas, in his first chance to show off his new and improved game and physique.
Unfortunately for Celtics fans, the added muscle did not translate to a better performance for the second-year swingman. Young struggled mightily with his shot, shooting a dismal 23 percent from the field (6-of-26) in his first three games in Utah before going down with a hip injury.
The former No. 17 overall pick was even worse from three-point range (1-of-13) in that stretch and was forced to chew on those numbers while the hip injury sidelined him for Boston’s first three games in Vegas.
Young’s poor performance in Utah also highlighted his inability to be a positive factor on the floor when shots weren’t falling. The box score was mostly empty across the board for Young, and he failed to be a factor on the glass with his improved physique and only dished out one assist in 60 minutes of action before the injury.
Defensively, Young did show some signs of progress. He stuck tighter to shooters and made some hustle plays for loose balls, but he’s still a ways away from Stevens being able to depend on him. The head coach is looking for continued growth in that department and also needs to see the shots fall for Young if he hopes to see the court in the regular season.
“I think the biggest thing is, are you a good defender?’’ Stevens said of Young’s chances of earning playing time. “Because we have a team full of guys that are good defenders. So you’ve got to be good to be in the mix. And then he’s gonna have to make shots. That’s No. 1. I mean we can all want guys to do more or expand their game or whatever the case may be, but the first thing he’s got to do is make shots.
“And then you know I think he’ll be able to play off of some other screens and some of those actions, or he can curl in the lane, use his athleticism and put it on the floor once and finish.’’
Opportunity should be waiting for Young in training camp, despite his summer struggles. Danny Ainge made a number of offseason upgrades, but one area that he failed to address via free agency or trades was perimeter shooting. Boston was 27th in the league last year in three-point accuracy, creating the need for young shooters like Young or R.J. Hunter to step up and provide Boston’s offense with adequate spacing beyond the arc next season.
Young showed off that kind of range in the D-League last year, averaging 21.5 points per game while shooting a scorching 44.2 percent from beyond the arc. However, those numbers did not translate to the NBA floor (25.8 percent from three-point range) in his rookie season and that pattern continued during Summer League, albeit in a limited sample size of games.
“I feel like it’s more mental for me,’’ Young said of his struggles last week. “I feel like I just think too much in the game [instead of] just letting it come to me. It’s just something I’ve got to work on in the offseason. I try to do everything perfect for everybody. Instead of just playing my game and knowing what I can do, I just try to please everybody else.’’
The challenge for Young after a disappointing summer will be proving he is worthy of minutes in a deep backcourt. Boston’s offseason moves as a whole (acquiring Amir Johnson and David Lee) indicate that the Celtics are focused more on taking a step forward as a franchise rather than giving minutes to unproven members of the team’s young core, including as Young.
“That’s not a priority,’’ Ainge said of spreading around playing time to players such as Young. “Development is a priority but you gotta earn minutes. When we bring in young guys, we want them to learn how to work, we don’t want to just give them minutes unconditionally, we want to make them earn every opportunity they get.’’
As the youngest member of the team, Young knows the franchise has the long game in mind when it comes to his progress. He has the size at 6-foot-6, scoring ability and upside to become a solid rotation player, but it’s easy for fans to forget that he still has a lot of basketball maturation left.
“What we’re doing now is so different from high school,’’ Vegas Summer League head coach Micah Shrewsberry told reporters in Las Vegas. “And he’s only two years removed from that. Some guys in high school, when you’re a really good player like James, you don’t always need the details. You can perform on talent, and now that the talent is even, those details and everything matter. I think he’s picking up on those.’’
Young also seemed to benefit in that area after watching three games from the sidelines while he recovered from his injury. He looked rusty in his first game back but had a well-rounded performance in the team’s finale in Vegas, posting 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a steal in Boston’s hard fought loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The outing left a positive impression with the team’s coaching staff.
“He rushed some shots in Salt Lake, took some shots out of character,’’ Shrewsberry acknowledged. “These last couple of games he really played within himself, didn’t overdo it. He took drives when he had it. He took open shots when he had it. James has gotten a lot better defensively too. I’ve seen that progress too. Even though he missed a few games, I think him playing, what he’s been able to do, was still a positive for us.’’
The question now is whether Young can build on that progress in training camp. Rookie teammates like Terry Rozier and Hunter will be clawing for playing time in the backcourt with Young. It’s up to the 19-year-old to rise to the occasion and show that he can a vital part of the Celtics rebuild, rather than just a potential trade chip down the road.
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