Celtics rookie Lester Hudson was looking forward to taking on the Grizzlies last week in his hometown of Memphis, but when the team touched down in the Tennessee city, the C’s had bad news for him.
Boston’s brass was sending him down to the D-League and he would be listed as a DNP for his much-anticipated homecoming.
Hudson wasn’t getting enough action on the deep C’s squad, so team president Danny Ainge and head coach Doc Rivers felt it necessary to get the youngster some playing time with the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s Development League affiliate.
“I learned a lot,” Hudson told WEEI.com on Sunday of his time spent on the farm. “I learned a lot about the pick-and-roll, team defense. Those were things my coach Doc and Danny told me to work on, so I tried to work on that, and I think I got a little better at that. I’ve just got to work hard on every possession. I got in a little better shape because I was playing a lot of minutes in those three games, so I’m going to try not to get out of shape.”
The 26-year-old Tennessee-Martin alum played in just three games in a five-day span for the Red Claws but made his presence felt. Hudson averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, including a 25-point debut performance.
Prior to the demotion, Hudson had played just 49 total minutes in 13 contests with the C’s. He was recalled from the Red Claws on Sunday.
