Author Topic: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?  (Read 1790 times)

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Offline crimson_stallion

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This is probably the most exciting draft ever for me as a Celtics fan - in the past we've been lucky to have one rookie to get genuinely excited about.  This year I'm excited about all three!

Sully and Olynyk both struggled early in their rookie years, and a lot of people counted them out  - but then both guys turned it on at the all star break and made very real contributions in the second half of their rookie seasons.

So on that note, I'm curious to hear feedback on what people are expecting form each of our rookies in their first season as a Celtic.

* How many minutes do you think they'll each get?
* What type of situations/lineups do you think they'll be used in?
* How much impact (if any) do you think they will have on the team's success in?
* How do you think they will progress from the start of the season, until the end?

Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2015, 10:40:16 PM »

Offline Eja117

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I think this is the first year where the first guy picked plays the whole year in Maine barring an injury while the other guys picked after him actually play rotational minutes.

I see RJ and Jordan, both starting off at like 9 minutes and gradually rising to about 16 or 17 minutes

Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2015, 10:47:54 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2015, 10:55:39 PM »

Offline max215

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I think this is the first year where the first guy picked plays the whole year in Maine barring an injury while the other guys picked after him actually play rotational minutes.

I see RJ and Jordan, both starting off at like 9 minutes and gradually rising to about 16 or 17 minutes

This probably makes sense. Send Rozier to Maine to develop his shot, PG skills, etc. Hunter and Mickey both need to bulk up before getting serious minutes, but we need Hunter's shooting and Mickey's athleticism/rim protection fairly immediately.
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Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2015, 11:06:20 PM »

Offline Eja117

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I expect some of the guys ahead of them to get hurt, traded, or surpassed.

Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2015, 11:07:37 PM »

Offline LooseCannon

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I expect Rozier, Hunter, and Mickey to have similar minutes to what James Young had last season (332 minutes in 31 games).  I don't see a need to clear playing time to guarantee them more than that.
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Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2015, 11:09:54 PM »

Offline Who

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Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2015, 11:31:04 PM »

Offline Evantime34

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At the start of the season only one of Young, Rozier, Hunter and Mickey will dress. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Young.
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Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2015, 11:46:01 PM »

Offline crimson_stallion

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Here are my thoughts:

Rozier
While Rozier is definitely still a bit raw (and has a long way to go) I honestly feel like he's the only guy on our roster right now who can do all of the below on a consistent basis:

* Create his own offense in ISO situations
* Shoot from three and from midrange (both spot up, and off the dribble)
* Get to the rim (and finish there)
* Score in transition
* Handle the ball
* Hold his own defensively

With a set of skills like that (and an NBA ready body) I think it's inevitable that he's going to earn himself some court time and make some impact in his rookie year. 

Early on in the season I can see him earning spot minutes in situations such as:
* When we can't get open looks, and we need someone to attack the rim and collapse the D
* When our guys are looking lethargic and we need someone to come in and provide energy
* When we need points in a hurry, but can't afford to use IT for size/defensive reasons

As the season progresses I can see him earning a consistent role as an extra spark plug in 10-12 minutes off the bench due to his ability to create offense, and his ability to wreak havok (with his athleticism and high motor) on both ends of the court.


R.J. Hunter
I think that right now R.J. Hunter is a bit of a tweenter in that he doesn't have the strength to defender stronger wings (e.g. Joe Johnson) but also doesn't have the lateral mobility to defend quicker wings (e.g. Paul George).  I think he may struggle defensively on some nights for that reason.

Offensively I feel Hunter is probably going to be limited to catch-and-shoot / shoot-off-screen situations, as I don't think he'll have the ability to create offense or get to to the basket against NBA talent.

However Hunter's biggest strength is his Basketball IQ, and as the season progresses I think he'll learn how to use his intelligence to give himself a cerebral advantage and to always be one step ahead of his opponent - much like we saw happen with Sully and Olynyk in their rookie years. 

At the start of the season I think he'll struggle to get any minutes (over Turner, Jerebko and Crowder) but as he starts to pick up the game on a cerebral level and adds some bulk to his frame I think you'll start to find him earning some spot minutes from time to time.  I can see him basically replacing Gigi in his role as the 3rd tier shooter / energy guy off the bench. 

I feel like the second year is when he'll be more likely to make a significant impact, but if the right situation presents itself (a trade, an injury, etc) and he has an opportunity to get some playing time, I think he'll impress the coach and make an impact in a similar way to how Jerebko and Gigi did last season.


Jordan Mickey
Between Lee, Johnson, Sully, Olynyk and Jerebko I don't think there are a lot of situations we aren't covered for up front, so it's going to make it hard for Mickey to earn much playing time. 

Early on, I think he might get the odd spot minutes in situations where we need a more athletic/mobile front line (or maximum rim protection) in which BS might consider pairing Mickey with Amir Johnson in the front court. 

As the season goes on I do think he'll get opportunities because:
* Sully and Olynyk are both foul prone
* Sully, Olynyk, Lee and Johnson have all missed games recently due to injury

So at some point or other I feel he's probably going to need to step in and play some decent minutes out of necessity.  When that happens I think he might raise some eyebrows with his athleticism, rebounding and shot-blocking - but I also think his ability to earn extended minutes is going to depend heavily on his ability to hit that midrange jumper with consistency. 

Overall thought I don't expect he'll get more than around 4-7 MPG for the season, unless there are multiple injuries and/or there's a trade that reduces front court depth.

Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2015, 12:12:13 AM »

Offline Emmette Bryant

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My prediction is that Maine wins the developmental league championship.

Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2015, 12:48:39 AM »

Offline KG Living Legend

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I expect some of the guys ahead of them to get hurt, traded, or surpassed.





 Eja, why so down on the rookies? I believe they do have a bright future here. It's a numbers game at least one will be really good.

Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #11 on: July 31, 2015, 12:53:45 AM »

Offline hwangjini_1

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My prediction is that Maine wins the developmental league championship.
hey, a championship is a championship. i will take what we can get.  ;D

honestly, rozier, hunter, and mickey will rack up most of their minutes in the dleague, with cameos in the big show. which is a good thing. their current limits and inexperience will not get them enough minutes in boston to learn and develop, let alone contribute significantly.

let them practice together and kill it in the dleague for a year. they will be much, much better prepared to help out a year from now.
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Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #12 on: July 31, 2015, 12:57:53 AM »

Offline greece66

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My prediction is that Maine wins the developmental league championship.
hey, a championship is a championship. i will take what we can get.  ;D

honestly, rozier, hunter, and mickey will rack up most of their minutes in the dleague, with cameos in the big show. which is a good thing. their current limits and inexperience will not get them enough minutes in boston to learn and develop, let alone contribute significantly.

let them practice together and kill it in the dleague for a year. they will be much, much better prepared to help out a year from now.

I missed the summer league so i cant really make a serious comment here.

still, my feeling is that rozier will take some minutes if only because we need a real ball handler in this roster- IT apart, our best ball handler is ET which is reason for concern.

Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #13 on: July 31, 2015, 12:59:01 AM »

Offline Beat LA

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My prediction is that Maine wins the developmental league championship.
hey, a championship is a championship. i will take what we can get.  ;D

honestly, rozier, hunter, and mickey will rack up most of their minutes in the dleague, with cameos in the big show. which is a good thing. their current limits and inexperience will not get them enough minutes in boston to learn and develop, let alone contribute significantly.

let them practice together and kill it in the dleague for a year. they will be much, much better prepared to help out a year from now.

You know what's really sad?  That d-league title would probably mean more than a division one, lol ;D, especially with how the league is looking into modifying playoff seeding and criteria, etc.

Re: What kind of minutes/role do you expect from each of our rookies?
« Reply #14 on: July 31, 2015, 01:01:50 AM »

Offline greece66

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My prediction is that Maine wins the developmental league championship.
hey, a championship is a championship. i will take what we can get.  ;D

honestly, rozier, hunter, and mickey will rack up most of their minutes in the dleague, with cameos in the big show. which is a good thing. their current limits and inexperience will not get them enough minutes in boston to learn and develop, let alone contribute significantly.

let them practice together and kill it in the dleague for a year. they will be much, much better prepared to help out a year from now.

You know what's really sad?  That d-league title would probably mean more than a division one, lol ;D, especially with how the league is looking into modifying playoff seeding and criteria, etc.
if this really takes place, Silver is so entering my hate list.