Coming into this summer, one of the Boston Celtics' biggest needs that required addressing was 3-point shooting -- a problem that also plagued rookie Jaylen Brown, whom the Celtics selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

That made Brown a relatively unpopular choice among fans -- he was booed initially, and questions about Danny Ainge's drafting began re-circulating around the internet. But Brown performed well in Summer League competition, and when asked about Brown's shooting on the Vertical Podcast with Chris Mannix on Tuesday, Celtics coach Brad Stevens expressed confidence that the 19-year-old would prove capable.

"I think he'll be absolutely fine with continued work, and the bottom line is I do believe in his work," Stevens told Mannix. "I believe in his touch. I believe in his desire to improve, that he'll be a deliberate worker. He'll be a guy that gets in the gym and works on the right things."

That's all very encouraging, of course, because the physical gifts Brown exhibited in his Summer League appearances were excellent. He already possesses plenty of bounce and speed, and his lightning quick first step combined with his aggressive mentality allowed him to get to the free-throw line repeatedly. If he becomes a capable 3-pointer shooter (or an "absolutely fine" one), he'll be extremely difficult to guard.

"When you look around the league right now, (Brown's) size, his athleticism, his strength, his desire to get better, all of those things add up to there's a lot of transferable skills to the NBA," Stevens said. "There's the ability to guard multiple positions. He showed in summer league a great ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the foul line, and there's a lot of room for growth. There's a lot of things he can do to get a lot better. That's something we'll start focusing on when we get a chance to start working with him. It's exciting to have him in the fold, and we think ultimately he's going to be a really good player."

Fans on draft night disagreed, or at least, they hoped for something more established. Mannix asked Stevens about the fan reaction, and about the rumors that swirled before the pick was made.

"I didn't pay much attention to that," Stevens said. "We were in the room and preparing for seven more picks. ... I think it's probably not only the analysis of the draft board, but it's also this build up of 'Is a trade going to happen?' and the known quantities of the different people that are being discussed across the league by your fans and everything else. One of the things I've learned about that build up is that it is just that. I think it certainly gets blown out of proportion. The bottom line is we knew we were going to leave that evening with multiple good players, but a chance for a really good player at number three."

Stevens added that there was a lot of internal debate among Celtics decision makers before they announced the pick.

"There was a lot of talk with our current depth in our backcourt," Stevens said. "I think there's certainly, when you look at our team and you look at what Jaylen could bring to the team, with our team and with the idea of being a versatile guy, that was what won out."

Stevens has always stressed positional versatility with the Celtics, and with a crowded roster full of talented players vying for time on the court, the ability to play -- and more importantly, defend -- multiple positions will be crucial for Brown as Boston looks to develop him. But if Stevens is correct and Brown will improve from behind the arc, it will be difficult to keep him off the court. As Stevens pointed out, his potential is sky-high even with all the room for improvement. That's a good place for a young prospect to be.