WALTHAM, Mass. – In Gerald Green’s first stint with the Celtics, he was this high-flying teenager who seemed to bounce around as if he had bones in his legs made out of pogo sticks.
Well, more than a decade-plus of being a professional basketball player has given him a perspective that has transformed him from being a talented player on the rise, into more of a teacher.
Second-year guard R.J. Hunter is among his pupils on this Celtics roster.
Hunter is coming off a 10-point, five-assist performance in a 104-86 preseason win over Charlotte on Saturday, which was easily the best game he has had thus this preseason.
There have been a number of veteran players that have helped the second-year guard adapt to the NBA life, and all the little things that go into having a long and prosperous career.
Green has been a regular voice in Hunter’s ear in camp, especially when it comes to shooting.
Said Hunter: “A wise man named Gerald Green once said, ‘You live and die with the results. And don’t be hesitant. So, once he said that, I’m gonna shoot 30 3s next game and see where that takes me. If anything, it’s on Gerald Green.”
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Seriously though, Hunter said Green has been dropping pearls of wisdom to him and the younger players throughout training camp.
“I’m a veteran player … whatever role they give me, I’ll do it,” Green said. “If it’s starting one night, coming off the bench one night, not playing one night, whatever it is. I’m going to be professional about it. I’m going to guide these young guys, make sure they get their work in. I’m gonna make sure the team, guys are together and ready for this battle we gotta go through. It’s an 82-game battle before we get to the war.”
And it is lines like that which make the 30-year-old Green a voice that the young players on this Celtics roster respect and hold in high esteem.
“He’s my Zen master,” Hunter said.