James Young Does The Impossible And Wins The Final Roster Spot
LIVE LOOK AND ME AND JAMES YOUNG DEALING WITH THE H8ERS!!
Huge day, I mean HUGE day for the #FREEJAMESYOUNG movement. To the handful of other supporters, we did it. We really did it. All the Twitter arguments, the late nights spent messing around with basketball reference stats in order to help your argument, the tough love during the Summer League, it has all paid off. James Young has made the roster.
Now let me stop you, it’s not as if Young won playing time or anything, just the privilege of riding the bench and enjoying some of the best lobster Maine has to offer. But it’s the principle that matters. I am most relieved that Ainge & Co, realized that maybe you should hold on to the 6’6 21 year old who is still incredibly raw.
So what happened, how did he get the nod over RJ Hunter? It’s hard to say, because the battle this camp was insanely close. RJ had the better shooting night against the Knicks, but then fizzled out over the remaining two, while Young just kept trucking along. For me it comes down to this
1. The shooting and defense is probably a wash
2. Young is a better rebounder, especially at the defensive end, which is going to be a high area of concern for the Celtics
3. He’s been in the system longer so Brad I’m sure trusts him more
4. Young was the higher pick and is younger
5. God wanted me to be happy
At the same time, today is a sad day because I think we all really liked RJ. His shooting was pure, and he’s the closest thing this team has to a player who can in stride bomb it from 30+ feet no problem. Unfortunately for him, he is a victim of circumstance. Had the Celtics been at a different place in their rebuild, I bet he makes it, but this fast track back to relevancy has happened much quicker than we all thought. The good news is he will 100% find a new team, and the bad news is he’s probably going to hit a game winner against us. That’s how these things work.
So RJ, I wish things could have been different, best of luck.
And James, I knew when I left you off the Summer League Crush Contest rankings that you would take it and use it as the final motivation you needed to continue to dominate the D-League. No need to thank me, it is my pleasure to die on this hill.
Cue up my favorite James Young gif for the kid!
