John Calipari backs James Young to shine at Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics small forward James Young has been backed by his former college coach to improve following a tough opening season with the NBA outfit.

Young was sourced by Boston as the 17th overall pick in the 2014 Draft, but injuries and inexperience contributed to the 19-year-old's challenging first campaign in which he shot just 35.3% from the field.

The youngster's performances have not dampened support from his former mentor John Calipari, however, who told the Boston Globe: "At this point for James, it's on James. I mean, it's on James. They need a guy like him in Boston.

"They need a guy like him, but he's gonna have to do it. And I think he has it in him, and I think the Celtics think that, or they wouldn't have drafted him."

The Celtics' last NBA championship crown came in 2008 when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.