Avery Bradley what do you think of his future? Can he be a better Nate Robinson?

[bfrombleacher]

In a perfect world, he could be our answer to Wade in the near future. Avery would develop a shot, learn the art of catch and shoot from Ray Allen and perhaps develop some point guard skills.

Him, Wafer and Pierce would be on the floor together. I can envision him guarding Wade on the defensive end, watching him defend with tenacity gave me goosebumps. Wafer would guard the Heat's PGs with no problem. On the offensive end, Paul Pierce would be the point forward, easing his load on scoring allowing him to focus on LeBron James. Wade would have to choose between two athletic guards on the defensive end...


Realistically, I think he should be played in the regular season much more often. He probably won't help this post season barring a major breakout. He is small for the SG but his athleticism and will just astonishes me and I think he can defend an average NBA SG.



He can potentially be a Russell Westbrooke or a Derrick Rose. He will not run the show like Rondo does it but he can penetrate and kick out. Worst case scenario, he can be a PG Tony Allen. Best case scenario, Rose with defense.

Ainge didn't trade Bradley in the middle of the season, which gives me some comfort. He is worth more than a FA in his back nine.



Edit: This conversation seems to have split into those who don't think much of Bradley's future and those who think he will never be a true PG but will contribute.

That said, remember Nate? The combo of Delonte, Nate and Big Baby in the preseason game gave me so much hope going into the season (then, of course, injuries crushed it mercilessly). Can Avery be the new Nate, except much better?

I think there is still a chance. He was injured in the workouts which left him miles behind.

[Eja117]

the Belarussian league...as a back up.

[Eja117]

HIm and Joe Forte will start the "I got drafted by the Celts in the first round and all I got was this t-shirt and a million dollars" club

[Who]

No idea, it's far too early to tell.

One thing is for sure though and that is that Bradley was incapable of contributing last season and has an awful lot of work to do before his ready to be a positive contributor in the future.

I like his athleticism and defense but his offense was absolutely dreadful last year. Weak ball-handling, terrible floor leadership from the point, struggled to initiate the offense, terrible overall passing combined with inefficient scoring and poor jump shooting. Too much of a liability on offense, negates his quality D.

A.Bradley has a huge amount of work to put in before he is ready to play at this level.

[makaveli]

HIm and Joe Forte will start the "I got drafted by the Celts in the first round and all I got was this t-shirt and a million dollars" club

LOOOOOOOL  TP

[wdleehi]

Completely unknown. 

[the_Bird]

Pretty clear he's never going to be a point guard.  I mean, he makes Eddie House look like Isiah Thomas.  I think they drafted him expecting he could become a Delonte-type combo guard, but Delonte looked a helluva lot more natural at the PG spot back in his rookie year. 

It's not *over* for him, but if he's going to stick in the league he's got some work in front of him.

[2short]

A career sub if "it" clicks, he'll never be a starting pg but maybe a defensive beast combo off the bench.  If he doesn't get a handle on the flow of the game he'll be out of the nba.  If he doesn't contribute to the c's this coming year I think he'll be trade filler.  He could still end up a player but he is a great example of stay in school for 4 years.
not ready for prime time player

[GreenEnvy]

Pretty clear he's never going to be a point guard.  I mean, he makes Eddie House look like Isiah Thomas.  I think they drafted him expecting he could become a Delonte-type combo guard, but Delonte looked a helluva lot more natural at the PG spot back in his rookie year. 

It's not *over* for him, but if he's going to stick in the league he's got some work in front of him.

I think that's a little harsh.

He will never be Steve Nash, but I don't understand why you don't believe a 20-year-old can learn to be a quasi-playmaker. I think he can be something like a very poor man's Rose, with All-NBA-quality defense. He looks like he has a very good handle and quickness. His midrange shot has the potential to be a weapon, and he is young enough to extend his range out to be at least a threat from outside.

He is very young, and I wouldn't hesitate throwing him into any trade that definitely makes us better for next season, but I really believe he has potential to be either a quality starter or a very good backup, sort of like Delonte West.

[PortCelt]

No more of a Lindsey Hunter type player who scraps and plays the ball well. The thing I like about him is his conscience ... he doesn't have one. Think about all the shots veterans like Starbury and Green turned down. AB is their antithesis. Eventaully he will develop a jump shot, probally long range at that. Still, I don't see him getting meaningful minutes behind Ray and perhaps another free agent SG, and I don't trust him enough to run the team at the point. His contract doesn't have trade value, but could be used as a throw in since next year comes with a team option. Under the circumstances of 'win now' Bradley would be better served elsewhere.

[bfrombleacher]

Should we just drop him down to D-League if it doesn't work out? I cannot bear to see us trade him since he has a heck of a lot of potential to be a great defender.


He was killing it in the D-League last year though. He needs to break through that barrier separating the top 5% of basketball players in the NBA and the top 10% of basketball players in other pro-leagues.

[FrDrake]

Should we just drop him down to D-League if it doesn't work out? I cannot bear to see us trade him since he has a heck of a lot of potential to be a great defender.


He was killing it in the D-League last year though....

I mentioned this in an thread a few weeks ago. Avery should have played 25 to 30 D-league games this year but instead he played in 10 or 11.  It was because of the injuries but Danny should have signed someone else from the D league to sit on the end of the bench and let Avery get some burn.  

[Chris]

Should we just drop him down to D-League if it doesn't work out? I cannot bear to see us trade him since he has a heck of a lot of potential to be a great defender.


He was killing it in the D-League last year though....

I mentioned this in an thread a few weeks ago. Avery should have played 25 to 30 D-league games this year but instead he played in 10 or 11.  It was because of the injuries but Danny should have signed someone else from the D league to sit on the end of the bench and let Avery get some burn.  

I think he would have, but they didn't have open roster spots until after the trade deadline.

And I suppose he was developing just as much up with the C's anyways.  He is just so raw, and has so much work to do to break bad habits and build fundamentals, that I am not sure playing D-League games would have helped him that much more than working in the gym 3 hours a day, doing drills with Brian Doo and the other coaches, trying to refine his footwork, handle, and jumpshot. 

[csfansince60s]

Dwest's injury last year hurt Bradley probably more than anyone.

I think that the plan was to pair the two, because their skills complement each other well and that their deficiencies are made up for by the other.

On O, Dwest would play the 1, bringing the ball up and still have the ability to shoot and plays with a high motor. On D, Dwest can guard the 2 because he has the size.

On 0, AB can play the 2 with high energy and the ability to hit the midrange shot. On D, AB can be a harassing nightmare for most point guards, but especially bench point guards.

Love to see that combo with a healthy Dwest this year. Great D, high motors, good athleticism.

Stay healthy and mentally together, Delonte.

Hope you stick, AB.

[FrDrake]

Stay healthy and mentally together, Delonte.

The mentally together part is key.  Every time I see a commercial for spyder motorcycles, I turn to my wife and say, "That's the bike the Delonte West got arrested on with a shotgun in a guitar case strapped to his back!"  She usually doesn't respond.

Hopefully Delonte'll have a quiet off season this year.