Catching up with former Georgia State star R.J. Hunter
ATLANTA -- Just a little more than a year ago, R.J. Hunter was taking a walk.
It wasn't a long walk. His dorm at Georgia State was just a few blocks from Philips Arena.
Hunter was already a star at Georgia State. He was playing under the coaching direction of his father, Ron Hunter. The two went on to win a Sun Belt title and give Georgia State one of the best years in program history.
But R.J. was already curious about the next phase of his career and what it would be like to play in the NBA.
"I used to just walk from my dorm in college to Philips to watch the games and be like, 'Man, what's it like to play there?'"
A year later, he found out.
After helping lead the Panthers on their Cinderella Story-run in the NCAA Tournament in 2015, Hunter was drafted in the first-round by the Boston Celtics. His rookie season was not as thrilling.
He played in 36 games averaging less than nine minutes a game. He averaged 2.7 points per contest and just couldn't get the three ball up like he could in college.
"I think I was trying to be good at a lot of things instead of my main strength - maximizing shooting," he said.
But the Celtics made it to the NBA Playoffs, and the first team Hunter would face in the playoffs just happened to be the Atlanta Hawks.
"It was cool to be home for my first playoff experience," Hunter said.
Family, friends, ex-teammates, family friends, friends that said they were family but they were really just friends - they were all in attendance to see Hunter play again in Atlanta.
A year ago, he was sitting in the stands. This time, he was on the court. He even dropped a three-pointer in Game 2.
But when Hunter returned home to TD Garden in Boston, it trumped all other experiences.
"It was crazy. I can't hear the play call. I can't hear (Isaiah Thomas) call the play. It was probably the most crazy basketball experience I've been a part of, let alone play in."
The Celtics ultimately fell to the Hawks in the series, but it led the way for a huge offseason for the Irish.
Boston had eight picks in the draft, and their biggest move came in free agency when Al Horford decided he wanted to play for the Celtics.
When Hunter found out the former Atlanta Hawks center was making the trek up the east coast, he was excited, mainly because he did not have to worry about seeing Horford's name on any more scouting reports.
"You just always have to keep your eye on Al," Celtics coaches would tell the team before playing the Hawks. "Whenever our scouting report was on the Hawks, it was always on Al. Al this, Al that. Al's going to rebound, he's going to pass. I just think he's a huge asset."
Horford will help the Celtics right away, but one of Boston's future stars also comes from the talented state of Georgia. Boston took Jaylen Brown out of Wheeler High School as the third-overall pick in the draft.
Hunter first met Brown when he was visiting Georgia State. Brown was just 15, and Hunter was watching him play a little pickup ball.
"Somebody told me, 'Yeah, he's next up.' Five minutes later, he's dunking, hanging all over the rim."
During summer league, the two grew close developing a chemistry that could help the team be successful down the stretch.
For now, Hunter is enjoying living in Boston. He spends a lot of nights on the North End enjoying Italian cuisine, and he has even got the accent down.
"Mahcus Smaht pahked his cah at the Hahvahd bah," he demonstrated.
But he's spending most of his time getting better for the upcoming season, and he is having no trouble getting inspired to do so.
"When you step up onto that court and you see nine banners on this side, nine banners on that side, how can you - as a basketball fan - not get excited about that."
