WALTHAM - James Young sees the Boston Celtics roster and knows the team has a lot of good players at his position. He understands the numbers don't add up and that at least one player with a guaranteed contract will need to be moved before the regular season begins.

"I'm not thinking about anything like that," the 21-year-old promised Monday at Celtics media day. "Just staying in the day-by-day."

In an attempt to maximize his offseason work, Young said he only spent "a few days" at home before returning to the Boston area for the rest of the summer. Notably, he also spent time watching tape on All-Star forward Paul George.

"Scoring's one thing I can do, but I need to work on my defense," Young said. "Being more stable, working on the little things, communicating. I've gotten a lot better at it. So I've been watching Paul George lately, all the clips that he's been doing. He plays defense and offense, so I'm trying to mimic my game a little bit after his."

Pressed on why he decided to study George, Young said, "It's just something me and an assistant coach talked about. So I've been watching a lot of clips on him, trying to mimic his game. He's a great player. He plays both ends of the floor. So why not? I have the same physical ability to do the same thing."

Whoever Young watches on tape, he should be trying to learn how to find more shot opportunities, how to cut without the basketball, how to float open while a teammate drives to the hoop. He should be observing how top defenders position themselves and use their length to irritate opponents.

Young's career hasn't been easy so far.

"Up and down," he said. "D-League, here (Boston), back, a lot of expectations. But it's a process. It's a long process, and I'm finally starting to realize that. I'm only going to get better, and just strive to be the best I can. Just keep working."