Lester Hudson can play backup PG -- Right Now!

[GuyClinch]

Hudson has shown signs of being good enough at the "PG stuff" to get the job done. He seems to have better skills in this department then House who runs into real problems against pressure.

As for the NBDL - its not going to hurt him. OTOH I haven't seen Walker and Giddens benefit a huge amount from it. As a PG it might actually be beneficial to practice more with your unit as getting to know more about them can help form a more cohesive unit.

Pete

[ParticleMan]

I love what I've seen so far and hope he gets some minutes this season but let's face it - Lester is a Shooting Guard through and through, not exactly a PG. He's a scorer, not a facilitator. He'll come in when we need an offensive spark for the 2nd unit. The backup PG so far looks like Daniels, with House switching up every once in a while.

disagree, i think Les has shown at least some PG skills. for one he can bring the ball up against pressure. for another, he has a pretty good sense of when to pass and when to shoot, which might sound trivial but pruitt never figured that out (nor did marbury for all his veteran experience). his passes are reasonably on time and accurate. he doesn't have any drive and dish game but that's ok so long as he has an outside shot that opponents have to respect. most importantly he looks pretty comfortable out there running the point. he's not rondo or anything but as a backup i think he's fine right now, better than any vet min backup pgs we could get.

[GregB]

As for the NBDL - its not going to hurt him. OTOH I haven't seen Walker and Giddens benefit a huge amount from it. As a PG it might actually be beneficial to practice more with your unit as getting to know more about them can help form a more cohesive unit.

Pete

But, Walker and Giddens haven't really had much of an opportunity to show their progress as players. Walkers knee injury really puts him behind the 8 ball going into the season. Giddens in the preseason has shown me he can defend and rebound at the NBA level. He was certainly a talented scorer at the collegiate and NBDL level.

This team just doesnt have many minutes for player development and the NBDL is a great tool for them. Now, That we have a regional affiliate it becomes more of a true minor league for us.

[chas0x01]

Hudson doesn't have to contribute right now, he doesn't have to contribute at all this season if the backcourt stays healthy. I think you just put'm in the best situation where he can grow and step in if needed.He'll be practicing with the team at least til December. He could do a month or 2 in the DL so he can get a lot of reps working on the things the team needs him to work on. However it would appear that Hudson doesn't have to work on much. He really seems ready to go right now. But that time in the DL certainly won't hurt. You could just bring'm back in late January so he can get some garbage PT. Ainge has done a great job putting together the most injury resistant team he could possibly assemble.

It looks like TA, Scal, and Walker won't be available for the opener. I wonder if we'll see a little JR and Hudson against Cleveland on Tuesday.

[cloverleaf]

For what he's shown right off on preseason, his reportedly being a quick-learning 'sponge' with a great attitude (humble and aggressive), his shot as his expected strength now going in, and his being on the roster for the next month anyway--my guess is that he continues to progress and by December they'd rather send Billy and/or JR down than Lester.

What's the fun in declaring a guy a success after he's succeeded? I say Lester is Danny's best 2nd round pick yet--bar none.

[GuyClinch]

But, Walker and Giddens haven't really had much of an opportunity to show their progress as players. Walkers knee injury really puts him behind the 8 ball going into the season. Giddens in the preseason has shown me he can defend and rebound at the NBA level. He was certainly a talented scorer at the collegiate and NBDL level.

Good players make their own opportunties. I like the young guys too but that's the truth. Good players force their way into the lineup through superior play. You think Rick Pitino let Paul show what he can do? Hell no. Rick said "damn this guy is good - I HAVE to play him."

Hudson has to make Doc Rivers think like that if he wants to have an immediate impact. Its a long shot as House is well established. But its not impossible.

Pete

[Dogen]

For what he's shown right off on preseason, his reportedly being a quick-learning 'sponge' with a great attitude (humble and aggressive), his shot as his expected strength now going in, and his being on the roster for the next month anyway--my guess is that he continues to progress and by December they'd rather send Billy and/or JR down than Lester.

What's the fun in declaring a guy a success after he's succeeded? I say Lester is Danny's best 2nd round pick yet--bar none.

Woah--- Nice way to go out on a limb, cloverleaf!

I like the way you think. It's pretty good company he's competing with since Powe, Baby, and Gomes have all been NBA talent, yet Hudson may have a more complete game for his position than all of them. So best is sort of relative since finding a quality big at end of second round is usually harder than finding a quality combo guard.

I will say that by the end of THIS year other GM's are going to be scratching their heads wondering why they passed on this guy. He's ready to play now.

[ParticleMan]

I agree, it's between him and Powe for best 2nd round pick. I'd give the edge to Leon but he got injured.

Here's the real point: Lester isn't going to be a rotation player this year given the people ahead of him. But that's not the issue. The issue is, what happens when someone gets hurt? Specifically Rondo or Daniels? In that case we will either have to trot out Eddie at PG (and that ship has sailed imo), or else we have to give Les 15 min/gm. It may never happen; everyone may stay healthy the whole year. But if it does, are you comfortable with that?

Based on what I've seen, I am. Frankly, more comfortable than the last few fossils we've tried at backup PG.

[sam_I_am]

Hudson is probably not going to have improve much beyond what he can do now. The guy is already 25 years old so I can see why so many teams passed on him. I think that is why we naturally overrate him a little as a "rookie" when Rondo who has been in league for 3 years is 2 years youger. That is why I wouldn't rank him as second best pick in second round by Ainge and would still put Gomes at #53 as the best.

That being said, I could easily see him run the offense with the starters without much dropoff from Rondo (excluding playoffs and 4th quarters). He isn't as good as Rondo but he is solid enough to run offense and actually is more of a scoring threat as a shooter. He is like a mix between Eddie House in Rondo in terms of what he provides although he doesn't excel at any one thing the way the other 2 do. He could be a great backup if he is as good as I think.

[ParticleMan]

i still don't understand the whole "he's 25, he's not going to get any better" argument.

you're telling me that just because he's 25 he should already have the knowledge of how to play in the NBA? i'm no biologist but as far as i know, humans don't have a biological clock that dispenses basketball ability with some kind of timer that runs out at age 25. sure, he's not going to develop any more *physically* like an 18-yr old would, but i don't think there's any question of his physical ability to play in the NBA. but like any rookie, he doesn't know the ropes. Playing in the NBA is alot different than playing at Tennessee-Martin, he has a different role, doing different things, with much more skilled teammates and opponents. The idea that he should already know all he's ever going to know about playing in the NBA just because he's 25 seems bizarre to me.

I think he has pretty much just as much chance to improve as any rookie. Even though, as I said, he is capable of spot minutes now.

[GuyClinch]

^^^ He might not "improve" much OTOH we don't know how good he REALLY is right now. What if he was given 40 minutes a night - for a few months. He might never improve beyond whatever numbers he was able to put up then. But he might be pretty good..

I think with players who are given few minutes - can be cited as "improving" when all they really needed is some burn.

Pete

[chas0x01]

i still don't understand the whole "he's 25, he's not going to get any better" argument.

you're telling me that just because he's 25 he should already have the knowledge of how to play in the NBA? i'm no biologist but as far as i know, humans don't have a biological clock that dispenses basketball ability with some kind of timer that runs out at age 25. sure, he's not going to develop any more *physically* like an 18-yr old would, but i don't think there's any question of his physical ability to play in the NBA. but like any rookie, he doesn't know the ropes. Playing in the NBA is alot different than playing at Tennessee-Martin, he has a different role, doing different things, with much more skilled teammates and opponents. The idea that he should already know all he's ever going to know about playing in the NBA just because he's 25 seems bizarre to me.

I think he has pretty much just as much chance to improve as any rookie. Even though, as I said, he is capable of spot minutes now.

Good post ParticleMan. Hudson will improve by learning how to defend and tune his offensive game at the NBA level. Hudson still has upside and has the "potential" to be an impact player in the NBA, for many years.

[Parliament10]

We have some great insights in this thread.


General D-League opinion, without any true purpose, is negative:

I like Lester and frankly think the D-League is a waste. Not the league itself but in reference to Lester's situation. It just isn't a playmaking league.

I don't think players get nearly enough "development" playing in that league.

sending Hudson to the D-League is limiting his ability.

Has anyone we sent to the D-League ever come back improved?

Opinion about the D-League vs. OTJ experience:

I think 10mpg on the Celts is more beneficial to him than 30 mpg on the Red Claws.

lester hudson's best bet is to continue to play with the team at practice and learn off that. it will be much more valuable experience and he can come in for 10 minutes for the blowout games we have against some of the lower tiered teams

I think he'd be better off play 7 minutes a night with Boston than playing 40 minutes in the D-league.

Big Baby never played in the D-League and his career hasn't suffered

I think many players are better off getting a taste of the entire NBA continuum--- the travel, coming off the bench, the practices, the level of competition, the distractions--- this way if and when they go to the D league they have an experiential taste of what they need to work on. Many of these guys, if you just send them to the D league straight away they will just be thinking how they should be playing in the NBA.

Hudson also gets the thumbs-up over other players:

probably highest among Walker, Giddens, Williams, and himself...

Agreed. I think Hudson is ahead of Walker and Giddens in value and potential and sure-thingedness

I think Hudson has vaulted to the top of the youngster class on this team--ahead of Giddens/Walker for sure. On the nights when Scal can't handle his SF matchup on the 2nd team, I hope Doc has the foresight to shift Lester into the rotation.

vet doesn't equal good, as we've seen the past two years.

given the choice between marbs, cassell, and hudson, i'd definitely take lester right now. and that's not anything about potential, i'm talking about his play as of now.

The opinion of Hudson's actual play and playmaking is promising:

Hudson has poise, but more importantly, an NBA level shot - both stationary and off the dribble.
Once he adjusts to the speed of the NBA game and learns a bit more about his team, he will be able to contribute to game

Hudson is confident, can shoot the 3, can get his own shot when offense is breaking down and can step in and run the offense. His defense is NBA ready

Other than the lack of experience at PG, what's not to like about Hudson? He's a natural born scorer, creater, finisher, he's got a 3 ball, a midrange game, and he can finish at the rim with both hands. He also has long arms, quick hands, and quick feet on defense. His PG skills aren't terrible--he's got good basic vision and ballhandling skills, but struggles 'running the plays'. He sticks his nose into the action, and he's doesn't shrink for competition like almost every other rookie we've had since the Big 3 came about (other than Big Baby). He also plays taller than he is, which makes him compatible with House too.

I think he ought to get a chance to prove himself with the team. When any weaknesses are exposed he may have to go and work on them, but I get the impression that Lester is a bit proud (in a good way) and will push himself to improve while with the team.

What's especially useful given his situation as a young pg is that he has earned the respect of the veterans--on and off the court. That'll make it much easier for him to slip in to the second team and even spot duty with the first team.

Hudson at the 1 (PG) vs. the 2 (SG).

From what I've seen Hudson will do fine as a shooting point guard.

[Hudson has shown signs of being good enough at the "PG stuff" to get the job done. He seems to have better skills in this department then House who runs into real problems against pressure.

i think Les has shown at least some PG skills. for one he can bring the ball up against pressure. for another, he has a pretty good sense of when to pass and when to shoot, which might sound trivial but pruitt never figured that out (nor did marbury for all his veteran experience).

A few games back I saw Lester making some really solid passes. I counted three great passes that if they went to better players would have been three great assists. I think he has enough PG in him to make it, and hopefully enhance his PG skills along the way.

I have to agree based on what I've seen so far. Hudson can probably be as much of a facilitator as many other scoring PGs, like Mo Williams or Jason Terry. I also think it wouldn't hurt if he spent a month or 2 in the DL, so he can get some extended burn with a focus on his PG skills. That way he'd be even more valuable to us during the 2nd half of the season.

There is the idea that the D-League could help – after Lester gets some OTJ training, and finds out what (if anything) he needs to work on. With a return towards mid-season when the Vets need a break.:

Guys, remember that D-League doesn't start till December. With injuries to TA and Walker, Hudson is going to be on the roster for the 1st month...he's going to get a chance from day 1...with the option of sending him to the D-League for some intensive point guard instruction in December, if he needs it.

He'll be practicing with the team at least til December. He could do a month or 2 in the DL so he can get a lot of reps working on the things the team needs him to work on. However it would appear that Hudson doesn't have to work on much.

I have faith that he can carve out some consistent spot duty during the dog-days of the season when vets want more rest

Hudson is obviously more NBA ready than Walker and Giddens, and with the injuries going into the regular season he will surely be on the active roster in November. Hudson's play will determine whether he sticks or is send to the DL later on. I think that even if he is sent to the DL (to tighten up his PG skills a little more) it will only be temporary - a month, or two at the max, imo. I can easily see Hudson being a regular contributor during the 2nd half of the season.

We're going to see alot more of Lester Hudson.

Williams, T. Allen, and even Scal, Walker, & Giddens aren't good future prospects. i say trade (or let go, if nec.) all five of them.

Sweetney had more playmaking. Though, he's about a 100 lbs. too heavy fo NBA defense.

Bring in developing talent, and possibly a 1 and 2 at 3rd string, after Hudson, and House.

[cloverleaf]

Hey, Lue doesn't want to schlep up to Maine to tutor his protege--he wants him traveling along with the rest of the team. And what a gift Hudson is for Lue to have as his first 'small man' coaching project.

[Dogen]

Wow, parliment10--- a lot of work must have went into that overview of the posts here.

I'm glad to see there is a lot of interest in seeing Hudson get minutes. I've always had a soft spot for rookies--- I'd probably make a terrible coach though--- so I really do like to see these guys contribute to the team. I really do believe Hudson will have the maturity and discipline to make it as a rotation player in Boston this season.

[sam_I_am]

i still don't understand the whole "he's 25, he's not going to get any better" argument.

you're telling me that just because he's 25 he should already have the knowledge of how to play in the NBA? i'm no biologist but as far as i know, humans don't have a biological clock that dispenses basketball ability with some kind of timer that runs out at age 25. sure, he's not going to develop any more *physically* like an 18-yr old would, but i don't think there's any question of his physical ability to play in the NBA. but like any rookie, he doesn't know the ropes.

Physical development is probably the most important thing that changes for most players between age 21 and 25. Lester isn't a clueless athlete like Gerald Green or Kedrick Brown either. He is a guy who was the whole show in college. He already knows the game and he is already physically mature. He certainly can improve his point guard skills but its not like he is going to morph into lottery talent like an Anthony Randolph, an Al Jefferson or a Kendrick Perkins for example. What you see is what you are gonna get

Sure, players get more savvy, and seem to improve as team players as they age which leads to better production and Lester if he sticks around will definitely improve that way too.

[GuyClinch]

He certainly can improve his point guard skills but its not like he is going to morph into lottery talent like an Anthony Randolph, an Al Jefferson or a Kendrick Perkins for example. What you see is what you are gonna get

What you see is what you get applies to veteran players who have an established baseline in the NBA. You can say that about a David Lee. You can't really say that about a Lester Hudson because he hasn't really established any level of play yet.

Yes what you see is what you get in a 25 year old man. But what have we seen..actually. I like what I saw in the pre-season. But I don't think we can really get a handle on his play until he sees major regular season minutes or it becomes clear that coach Rivers will never give them to him.

Pete

[sam_I_am]

He certainly can improve his point guard skills but its not like he is going to morph into lottery talent like an Anthony Randolph, an Al Jefferson or a Kendrick Perkins for example. What you see is what you are gonna get

What you see is what you get applies to veteran players who have an established baseline in the NBA. You can say that about a David Lee. You can't really say that about a Lester Hudson because he hasn't really established any level of play yet.

Yes what you see is what you get in a 25 year old man. But what have we seen..actually. I like what I saw in the pre-season. But I don't think we can really get a handle on his play until he sees major regular season minutes or it becomes clear that coach Rivers will never give them to him.

Pete

I don't disagree with you. Maybe Hudson is like Dennis Rodman. As a 25-26 y.o. rookie, Daly would always say he would easily average 20 rebs. a night if he could play a full game but he was stuck behind quality veterans and got limited minutes. He didn't really develop so much as get increased playing time when Mahorn got older.

My main point though is that I would think of him as more like a guy who bounced around the CBA for 4 years before getting a 10 day contract than I would a rookie Rajon Rondo who showed flashes of the player he was to become but wasn't physically or mentally as mature as he is now.