The Morning Walkthrough: Brandon Jennings was mentored by former Celtic Allan Ray

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn't mean we have to.  Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day. 

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston - But here's the strongest connection between Jennings and the Celtics: He was mentored by former Celtics guard Allan Ray while playing overseas last year. Colleague Chris Broussard detailed the connection in last November's ESPN the Magazine: "After practice, Allan Ray, the former Villanova star who is in his second year with Virtus Roma, gave Jennings a pep talk. Ray got kicked out of several practices last season. 'When you're The Man in high school, you can do whatever you want,' Jennings says despondently. 'This is something new for me, especially playing for a coach who's real controlling and doesn't take no stuff.'"

Steve Weinman, D-League Digest - There is little reason to doubt that this sort of performance will be the norm for Walker as long as he remains in the D-League. He has NBA strength at his position.  He has NBA speed, and he is explosive around the rim.  All of that is exactly why Walker’s prospects for finding his way back to the NBA and staying there won’t hinge on how dominant he is as a scoring force at this level. This is about improving his game from the neck up.  From his high school days at North College Hill to his time at Kansas State to last season with the Celtics, Walker has always had the physique to be a special player. Finding a way to put his tools together and harness his energy on the court has been and continues to be the biggest challenge.

Zach Lowe, Celtics Hub - It’s a small but gradual evolution: KG’s shot selection is moving both closer to the rim and further away. He’s getting more shots at the rim and within 10 feet and in the area between the foul line and the three-point arc—the area NBA experts generally consider the least “efficient” place from which to shoot.   But this isn’t a bad thing. The first reason is simple: Since 2007, KG has made a slightly higher percentage of shots from 16-23 feet than from the 10-15 foot range. And that makes intuitive sense. Those 16-23 footers tend to be open shots created by dribble penetration or a pick-and-pop, while the 10-15 footers are more often created in one-on-one isolation and shot within crowds.  Put another way: A shot from 10-15 feet away is (generally) the worst shot Kevin Garnett can take.

Me, Celtics Town - Watching the Boston Celtics, though, floods back all the memories of high school basketball, a time when my team wasn't a bunch of individuals, but a close-knit group of brothers. It is easily evident on the court just how much the Celtics care about each other and want to win the game, not just for themselves, but for each other. You can see it every time Kendrick Perkins sets a screen to free somebody else to score, or Kevin Garnett sits on the sidelines during a blowout and screams like the world is ending. You can see it when Rajon Rondo takes fewer than five shots in an entire game, more than willing just to set his teammates up, or when Paul Pierce defers to his teammates for large parts of the game, happy to ride out somebody else's hot hand. You can see it when the Celtics go on a run, and the entire bench is standing up and cheering, even if NBA rules no longer allow that. You can see it when Shelden Williams, fresh after catching his first DNP-CD of the season, remarks on Twitter not about being hurt by not playing in the game, but about how big a win it was to beat the Spurs. You can see it in every defensive rotation, every dive to the floor after a loose ball, every extra pass to a more open teammate; the Boston Celtics play the game the right way, a selfless way, a way that inspires teamwork, friendship and camaraderie. A way that not only brings wins, but happiness.

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe - Young Mr. Jennings should make sure he extends a pregame fist to a certain No. 5 of the Celtics, because thanks to the Garnett Effect, he was able to pocket $3.65 million before reaching his 20th birthday.  Kevin Garnett was the human toothpaste who oozed out of the tube back in 1995, demanding the NBA take him directly from Chicago’s Farragut Academy rather than from an institution of higher learning.  No player had tried to come to the NBA directly from high school since Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, and Bill Willoughby had done it in 1974 and 1975. Their mixed success (Malone was an all-time great, Dawkins, a.k.a. “Chocolate Thunder’’ was a gigantic tease, and Willoughby was a talented, misused failure) somehow doomed the experiment, and the NBA floated along serenely doing its business with a mixed bag of collegians until Garnett changed everything by submitting his name to the draft.

Shelden Williams turning heads with his solid play

When he signed, people scratched their heads. The Celtics had already penned Rasheed Wallace to a deal and would soon resign Glen "Big Baby" Davis. What did they need Shelden Williams for?

To most NBA fans, Williams had already been labeled a bust. He had been the fifth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, but had never lived up to his college reputation during brief stints in Atlanta and Sacramento. He was still a very good rebounder, but Williams couldn't find enough time on the court to produce anywhere near the rate a fifth pick is supposed to. Even playing for bad teams, Williams toiled on the bench.

Once upon a time, he had been a star for one of college basketball's darling programs, on national television every night and producing every game. He was the "Landlord", aptly named for owning the paint, and had won two Defensive Player of the Year awards during his time with the Duke Blue Devils. Four years after Shelden began his college basketball career, he ended it with 1,859 points and 1,217 rebounds.

Then he was drafted into the NBA, and all of a sudden everything changed. The bright lights of national television were traded for dull regional coverage, and Shelden's personal stardom was traded for a whole bunch of time on the bench. And his nickname? They might as well have changed it to "The Benchlord".

While everybody else was scratching their heads over the Williams signing, I didn't know what to think. With 'Sheed in the fold and Big Baby soon to be, I didn't see how the Celtics needed him. I didn't know how Williams fit into the Celtics' plans, and I certainly didn't expect him to see much playing time. After all, he couldn't find the court in Atlanta or Sacramento -- why would things be any different in Boston?

At the same time, I remembered Shelden from college. You see, I'm a Duke fan. And not just your run-of-the-mill Duke fan who might watch the Blue Devils when they're on T.V. I'm the type of Duke fan who watches Syracuse football this year just to see Greg Paulus play quarterback. You could say I'm a little bit obsessed.

So I remembered Shelden at his best. I remembered his game-changing blocks and tough rebounds. I remembered the way he was never afraid to throw his body around and, above all, his consistency. Shelden was always a guy you could count on to deliver, somewhere around 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks every single game.

When Shelden was a senior, he played his last college game against Glen Davis and the L.S.U. Tigers. I was in prep school at the time, and the game coincided with our dreaded study hall. During study hall, which happened every night of the week, we were locked in our rooms for two hours. We weren't allowed to watch T.V., we weren't allowed to play video games, we weren't allowed to leave our rooms, and there were no exceptions. But my Duke Blue Devils were playing in the NCAA tournament, so I had to figure out a way to make sure "no exceptions" didn't apply to me.

I snuck out of my room and into my dorm head's apartment. He was gone for the night, so I knew I'd be safe in his room. I might have been breaking and entering, but what did I care? There was a chance it was Shelden and J.J.'s final collegiate game.

As it turned out, it was, but not because of Shelden. While J.J. was compiling only 11 points on putrid 3-18 shooting, Williams was busy getting the best of a talented frontcourt consisting of Big Baby and Tyrus Thomas. Duke lost 62-54, but I wouldn't soon forget Williams' gigantic effort. When his team needed him the most, Shelden outplayed two highly-touted players and was the most dominant player on the court. It wasn't enough for the win, but it was enough for me to understand Shelden's importance in everything Duke did... as if I hadn't already.

Still, I didn't expect much when Shelden signed with Boston. I didn't expect his career to suddenly turn around just because he was wearing a new jersey. He was a bust, and that was that. I still loved him from his college days, but I never expected Williams to be of much help to my Celtics.

Then, a day before the season, Glen Davis went down with an injury, and Williams was pressed into service. I was still skeptical. If Williams couldn't perform for the Kings and Hawks, I didn't think he would for the Celtics either. He played 13 minutes the first game, and his stats were underwhelming; 4 points and 3 rebounds are nothing to write home about. But sometimes stats don't tell the whole story. Williams threw his body around that day, and did all the dirty work. He wasn't spectacular, but he was solid. And that's all the Celtics needed from him.

The next night, it was more of the same. This time, Williams ended up with better stats, but the way he played was the same. He was just solid. Nothing flashy, nothing spectacular, but as solid as it gets.

Now, five games into the season, we know what to expect from Shelden Williams. There will be some nights when his stats are better than others, but he'll provide the same effort every night. Just like he did in college, Shelden is playing with consistency, passion, and confidence. He bangs down low, gets to the line, and pulls in plenty of rebounds. Shelden won't ever be a star, but he sure has been dependable, hasn't he?

Williams may never live up to his billing coming out of college, as the fifth overall draft pick, and he may never reach the expectations certain people had for him after his storied Duke career. He might even be right back on the bench once Davis comes back.

But don't make the same mistake I made.

Don't doubt that Shelden Williams can still play.