Boston Celtics: Final Preseason Grades

Oct 22, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks guard Jerian Grant (13) tries to steal the ball from Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter (28) during the second half of the Boston Celtics 99-85 win over the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

James Young (C-) 4.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 28.1 FG%, 35.0 3PT%

James Young’s preseason was troubling in some ways, but encouraging in others. On a positive note, Young was less hesitant to attempt threes and he connected on a fair number of shots. Outside of shooting threes he struggled to create his own shot on offense and relied on catch and shoot three-pointers. His defense was similarly up and down.

He’s starting to look more aware on defense, but the key word is “starting.” Young’s improved awareness and hustle on defense should not go unnoticed, but he is still far from being a nightly contributor.

Jordan Mickey (B-) 5.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 56.3 FG%

The biggest asterisk in Mickey’s preseason is that he played the majority of his games in garbage time, yet it’s important to recognize his promising play. What’s the most surprising about his preseason is how much of an impact he made in such a short time.

Mickey only averaged 9.7 minutes, but was effective and very productive in his brief playing time. He needs to develop a consistent mid-range shot, but so far he’s proving to be one of the steals of the draft.

R.J. Hunter (B) 4.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, 1.9 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 30.6 FG%, 28.6 3PT%

R.J. Hunter was one of Boston’s best prospects of the preseason and is in the best position out of all the rookies to crack Brad Stevens’ rotation. Stevens went to Hunter early in the preseason games because of his basketball IQ.

Hunter came in touted for his 3-point shooting, but demonstrated he’s got NBA-ready court vision and underrated defense. His shooting percentage will increase with time, yet the biggest takeaway is that he’s a more polished player than anticipated.

Terry Rozier (B+) 9.8 PPG, 2.8 APG, 48.6 FG%, 57.1 3PT%

The hate the Celtics received for picking Rozier seems completely crazy now that he’s logged NBA minutes. Rozier shot lights out during the preseason from the field and behind the arc, though he wont continue shooting at that ridiculously high rate. Rozier has earned himself minutes in the regular season, so expect to see him fill Phil Pressey’s void as a third point guard.

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