SAN ANTONIO – James Young has been a man on the move – literally – since being drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2014 and subsequently shuffled back and forth between Boston and their Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.
But Friday’s assignment to the Red Claws and then recall to Boston – within minutes of each other – was different.
Young, who has been with the Celtics during their current road trip, said he was literally minutes from boarding a plane to join the Red Claws when he was told to return to the team’s hotel in San Antonio to be in uniform for tonight’s game.
“I guess the day before, they were talking about me going to Maine,” Young told CSNNE.com. “I was like mentally ready to go. The next morning (Friday), I got to the airport, I got to the gate and everything, I got a phone call saying I was going to stay here. I was like, ‘alright.’ I had to tell people, I need my bags back. So they took it to baggage claim and I went down.”
It was yet another reminder for the 20-year-old of how quickly life as a professional basketball player can change.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Young said. “I’m just glad to be back.”
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said the decision to even consider sending Young to the Red Claws had to do with a quad injury suffered by Avery Bradley that doesn’t appear to be serious.
Boston Celtics
In fact, Bradley knocked down the first two shots in Saturday’s game against the Spurs.
“We were probably a little bit conservative with that decision, but I think it’s the right move to have him here,” Stevens said.
And as far as Young getting the word to come back to the team from the airport, Stevens acknowledged that it “was not a perfect timing thing.”
Said Stevens: “But at least we made the decision before he got on the plane. He never left Texas.”