UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The good news for R.J. Hunter is he got drafted by a franchise with lots of talent and high expectations.
The bad news?
He was drafted by a franchise with lots of talent and high expectations. That makes it a whole lot tougher for a player drafted primarily on potential to get enough opportunities to deliver production.
That’s why the second-year guard is among a handful of players whose status going into this season is up in the air.
And that’s why Saturday’s 104-86 preseason win over Charlotte was so important to Hunter.
It was the first time he's played signficant minutes in the preseason. Hunter played 23 on Saturday, compared to 18 in the first two preseason games combined.
And to his credit, the 22-year-old shooting guard made the most of his time by scoring 10 points while dishing out five assists, which was tops among Celtics reserves.
It was the kind of performance that Hunter desperately needed.
Because prior to Saturday’s game, Hunter had done little to show for the scrap minutes he received in the first two preseason games, which came on the heels of him doing little to set himself apart in practices.
But just like he can’t live off past success, the same holds true for previous struggles.
“I’m just living in the moment, taking it one day at a time,” Hunter told CSNNE.com recently. “Trying to stay as present as possible. Once you do that, a lot of stuff just dissolves away.”
And that’s a good thing for Hunter whose future with the Celtics is surprisingly on shaky ground for a second-year player.
Hunter showed promise as a rookie, but the Celtics have 16 players with guaranteed contracts and has to get rid of at least one. Of course they would love to make a trade and not take back any players in return, but if that doesn’t happen then they must waive someone.
It’s the kind of thing that could easily wear on the mind of a player, particularly one who is so young.
On the court, Hunter says it’s not an issue.
But when he’s not playing, he admits that his thoughts do turn towards his future.
“Naturally, as human beings, we’re always worried about what’s next,” Hunter said.
Regardless, Hunter can only control so much which is why his attention is focused solely on what he can do to improve as a player.
The Celtics drafted him with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 draft in large part because of his long-range shooting skills.
But Hunter realizes that shooting is important, he must also show that there’s more to his game than just the long ball.
He did just that on Saturday.
In addition to doling out five assists, he also displayed some decent ball-handling skills.
In the fourth quarter, Hunter drained a step-back 3-pointer that put the Celtics ahead 95-77 with 5:32 to play.
As nice as it was to have a game like that, Hunter is well aware this is no time for him to rest on his laurels.
He doesn’t have to necessarily score like that going forward, but the comfort level he had when he was in the game has to continue to get better in the coming weeks.
Otherwise, he won’t be around much longer with his teammates who have become really good friends.
“It’s all just the business we signed up for,” Hunter said. “We all knew that coming in, that nothing is ever promised. “Unless you’re LeBron James or a top-five guy … you know what league you’re in.”
I reminded Hunter that some of the greatest players ever, such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, were traded before.
“That’s unbelievable,” Hunter said and then added, “If he got traded, nobody damn sure ain’t safe.”
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