BOSTON — Entering Monday night, James Young had played a grand total of 18 minutes in his NBA career. He had appeared in just five games for the Celtics, and those only came in garbage time.
But when the rookie out of Kentucky finally received the chance to play true, meaningful NBA minutes, he was — to borrow a phrase from the late, great Stuart Scott — as cool as the other side of the pillow.
Young equaled his career minutes total Monday night and poured in 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, helping spur a furious second-half rally that ultimately came up a bit short in a 104-95 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
“I was kind of nervous when I first got in, my first time playing really in the regular season,” said Young, who played three minutes in the second quarter and attempted one shot. “I was just trying to go out there in the second half and just be aggressive. Everyone told me just to be aggressive.”
That aggressiveness paid off, as Young quickly found his groove after halftime. He went 2-for-2 from the floor with one 3-pointer in the third quarter, then sank three of his four shots, including two more triples, in the fourth.
Young’s final three prompted a “boo-yah” from Celtics radio play-by-play man Sean Grande — another tribute to Scott, the legendary “SportsCenter” anchor who died of cancer Sunday at age 49.
“I just tried to take every shot with confidence,” the 19-year-old said. “After one fell, I just tried to go for another, and another. That’s how I’ve been playing all my life, so I just tried to stick with it.”
Young always has been known for his scoring ability, but he also looked much-improved on the defensive end, highlighted by his drawing a charge on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at the height of the Celtics’ comeback. Young and head coach Brad Stevens agreed that these developments have been the result of his time spent with the D-League’s Maine Red Claws this season — an idea Young initially wasn’t keen on but grew to embrace.
“I think it speaks to the impact of being able to go back and forth to Maine and keep his game sharp as he waited his turn and got through some injuries,” Stevens said. “I thought he did a good job.”
Young has played eight games for the Red Claws this season, driving himself the two hours from Boston to Portland each time. If he continues to play the way he did Monday, those trips will be a thing of the past.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
