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Lester Hudson can handle the backup PG role. D-League for a month or so would help, but he's got the attitude and enthusiasm to do it – Right Now. OTJ – On-the-job-training.

Good enough D to do it.

settle down guys...nice player for a late second round pick, but no way can he run the offense for a team like this...the kid needs to go to the D league ASAP and get some run right away to figure out how to play the point or he wont last long in the league.

That said, the guy has 100x more confidence than Giddons or Pruitt ever had their first years....Im rooting for him!

This is preseason..so..I don't know if he can play RIGHT NOW, but he sure as hell will be a VERY good player in this league..he has so much confidence, it's not even funny. Our team is really good, and our 'children' are also going to be great players..people say we have an old team, but my godness..our youngsters are pretty damn good...JR, Rondo, Perk, Lester, and Bill Walker are going to be nice players in this league..Celtics are in a pretty damn good position IMO..

I don't doubt but that Lester's going to be a good player in the league. And I think by mid-season he'll really, really look like he fits. I just hope the C's win a lot of blowouts early so Lester can get his experience.

Lester could be pretty good. But, I don't think he will have an opportunity to play. I think we will mostly run a 9 man rotation with Daniels, Sheed, Baby and House off the bench.

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 would prefer they give him a chance with the big boys and see if he looks as comfortable and effective as he does now when it counts.

I like everything I see from Lester. He's a real find, and might even make the rotation this year.

gocelts wrote:settle down guys...nice player for a late second round pick, but no way can he run the offense for a team like this...the kid needs to go to the D league ASAP and get some run right away to figure out how to play the point or he wont last long in the league.

That said, the guy has 100x more confidence than Giddons or Pruitt ever had their first years....Im rooting for him!

I hate the D-league. I don't think players get nearly enough "development" playing in that league. I think he'd be better off play 7 minutes a night with Boston than playing 40 minutes in the D-league.

He will get minutes on the NBA level this year at some point - I have faith that he can carve out some consistent spot duty during the dog-days of the season when vets want more rest and Doc can cherry pick his oponents and how much he **** with them...just like Pop...

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 games...too strong to keep out of the lane once the threat of his jumper is established...

...i like his chances relative to the opportunities he'll get...probably highest among Walker, Giddens, Williams, and himself...

I completely agree with Bill. 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 which is a plus even for a 24 year old draft pick. I cannot believe how good this guy is given where he was drafted. I think this ranks just behind Gomes as Ainge's best second round pick when you factor where in second round he was picked. [EDIT: I have to put Powe and Davis ahead of him with Gomes. ]


The key to his career is FG%. He clearly has the athleticism, the skills and the proper mentality to have an NBA career. How good that is will come down to how well he knocks down his shots. He sure looks better out there than Banks, O. Greene, Bassy or Marbury did or any of our PG projects during the Ainge era and the previous regime too.

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

Parliament10 wrote:Lester Hudson can handle the backup PG role. D-League for a month or so would help, but he's got the attitude and enthusiasm to do it – Right Now. OTJ – On-the-job-training.

Championship teams don't provide on-the-job training. Send Hudson to the D-League for the year and bring in a vet PG.

I agree, the D-League is a waste. Hudson played a lot of minutes tonight against Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson and looked solid throughout. He seems to play up to the level of competition which is rare for a player with limited experience. I think 10mpg on the Celts is more beneficial to him than 30 mpg on the Red Claws. Big Baby never played in the D-League and his career hasn't suffered, unlike Gabe Pruitt, who was drafted earlier and the same year as Davis, who withered away on the Flash. Giddins and Walker didn't necessarily benefit from playing in Utah while both have looked like contributors in very limited time with the Celtics. It's obvious that Rivers prefers not to play his young guys but sending Hudson to the D-League is limiting his ability.

I agree that lester is going to be a diamond in the rough find, after being picked in the second round. I don't know why.....but the more I see him play the more I see a Tony Delk. Don't get me wrong I liked Tony....and he had a solid career and played well when he was here.....but I see him more of a scorer than a PG....Tony developed some PG ability when he was here but he still wasn't a true PG. I think he'll be a good option of the bench next year....maybe he can replace House next year......it looks like he can shoot the ball and his agressiveness on D is nice to see....little guys should be agile and be able to get in someone shorts. House doesn't do enough of that for a little guy.

Has anyone we sent to the D-League ever come back improved? I'd rather he just stayed and practiced with the team until he's ready.

Ainge's son is running the D League team now. You can bet that our guys will get more out of it, although I think Hudson might make the active roster.

I gotta agree with the topic of this thread--Hudson can play backup PG right now.

That said, when TA/Walker come back and are healthy, I could see Hudson taking a 3 week trip to Portland to work extensively on his PG skills. With Austin Ainge at the helm, you can bet they'll be able to run some very Celtic-like things for Lester to replicate what happens in Boston. Hudson needs an extended spring training run at the PG position after being a scoring 2 guard in college.

Of course, I could see him staying the entire season and getting that training on the job too.

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 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.

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

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. I'm sorry about Scal's ankle, Walker's knee and TA's slow recovery, but that's the stuff that rookie opportunities are made of on a Rivers coached team--and I think Hudson will deliver.

JR Hawks wrote:

Parliament10 wrote:Lester Hudson can handle the backup PG role. D-League for a month or so would help, but he's got the attitude and enthusiasm to do it – Right Now. OTJ – On-the-job-training.

Championship teams don't provide on-the-job training. Send Hudson to the D-League for the year and bring in a vet PG.

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.