The Boston Celtics are now 3-3 after a convincing win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. The Celtics have won two in a row after dropping three straight prior to this modest win streak and they have gotten contributions from all over the place. On Tuesday night Boston got a major contribution from rookie R.J. Hunter who had not played very much before this game but he played extremely well and Brad Stevens was very complimentary after the game. Hunter could be working his way into the regular rotation, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.
Hunter was the Celtics' second first round pick this past draft as he was taken 28th overall but coming into Tuesday's game he had only played a total of 17 minutes in two games. On Tuesday though, Hunter played 19 minutes and scored seven points on 3-5 shooting from the field and he also grabbed seven rebounds. Hunter was given playing time on this night because Avery Bradley is dealing with an injury and Marcus Smart was unavailable in this game. Both players are expected back relatively soon but even when they do return Hunter may have earned himself a role as Stevens had a lot of great things to say about him after the game.
Hunter is known for his shooting ability as he has a smooth stroke and seemingly limitless range, but it wasn't his shooting that impressed Stevens instead it was his basketball IQ and his work on defense. Ultimately Hunter will earn his keep in the NBA with his shooting but the other stuff is extremely important as coaches don't like to play one dimensional players.
So far this season the Celtics have their best offensive rating with Hunter on the floor and he is a plus 27.8 per 100 possessions which is the second best mark on the team. These are small sample sizes but Hunter can shoot it from deep and that is something the Celtics are currently lacking. As a team the Celtics rank 26th in the league with their 30 percent mark from three-point range and although Hunter is only 1-6 from beyond the arc so far this season he is someone that could help space the floor and knock down shots.
Nowadays three point shooting is as important as it has ever been and that is one of the Celtics' weaker areas. Hunter is the one player on their roster that you can confidently say is a good three point shooter, despite not having proven it at the pro level yet, and when you add in the fact that he is not overmatched on defense and he can help on the glass it would seem like his role in Boston will and should grow.
