Celtics News: Green's Departure Creates Opportunity For Rookie James Young

The Boston Celtics finalized a deal that sent forward Jeff Green to the Memphis Grizzlies, creating a hole in the rotation that should be filled be rookie James Young.

Boston picked Young with the 17th overall pick in the draft, but he's spent most of the season with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League since he hasn't been able to find a spot in the rotation.

"There's a lot of good players. You figure the top seven or eight guys are pretty set in that," head coach Brad Stevens said. "Everything else is going to be a little bit of a ... we'll figure that out as we move forward. I like the way he approaches the game. I like the way he's working at the game. His work ethic is at a really good level right now. That's the biggest key for him; keep working, keep getting better, don't get too high or too low and control what you can."

Stevens said that the biggest thing for Young, who's just 19 years old, is adjusting to the NBA grind.

“The longer he’s in it he sees that this league is not easy. We had an individual meeting about a month ago, and I remember him saying, ‘This ain’t easy.’ Every day is difficult, every matchup is difficult. Whether you know the name of the person who’s guarding you or not, or whether or not you’re familiar with their career path, they’re probably more accomplished than you are if you’re a 19-year-old. That’s just part of it. As guys go through the draft and they’re young, freshman are going to come out and their hyped and hyped, but then there are the men standing there waiting for you. It’s a difficult transition for everybody.”

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