Continue to develop Avery as a PG

[droopdog7]

It seems the team still hasn't quite figured out where Avery should be playing.  But to me, Avery will help this team best as a PG, where he can harrass the other PG and disrupt their offense.

Don't really think a backcourt of Rondo and Avery would work that well for the offense (well duh) or the defense.  Avery (or Rondo) could get exposed by bigger SG's and their on the ball defense would not be used to it's maximum capacity.

Ironically, even though I don't think Avery is a SG, I am not worried too much about his shot.  The form is there.  Kid just needs to calm down a bit and work on it.  This is very different from what Rondo came in with and given the time, I feel like Avery could improve drastically.

[PosImpos]

I think the problem is that if you see both Avery and Rondo as building blocks moving forward, Avery will need to be able to play off the ball with Rondo, or else he'll be playing 10-15 minutes a night at most for as long as he and Rondo are both on the team.

[droopdog7]

I think the problem is that if you see both Avery and Rondo as building blocks moving forward, Avery will need to be able to play off the ball with Rondo, or else he'll be playing 10-15 minutes a night at most for as long as he and Rondo are both on the team.

I get that. 

But to be honest, while Avery has shown some things, I still don't see him as a long term starter anyway.  But he can be great as a spot starter or energy guy off the bench.  I think those guys are important as well and think Avery and the Celts would be best served in that role.

[vinnie]

His defense is great. He needs a tremendous amount of work on his ballhandling if he is going to be an NBA point guard.

[PosImpos]

I think the problem is that if you see both Avery and Rondo as building blocks moving forward, Avery will need to be able to play off the ball with Rondo, or else he'll be playing 10-15 minutes a night at most for as long as he and Rondo are both on the team.

I get that.  

But to be honest, while Avery has shown some things, I still don't see him as a long term starter anyway.  But he can be great as a spot starter or energy guy off the bench.  I think those guys are important as well and think Avery and the Celts would be best served in that role.

I don't really see him as a starter, either, but if you want him to be able to carve out a Tony Allen or Delonte West type role on the team -- which is the only sort of role in which he'll get significant playing time -- he'll need to be able to play at least a couple of different positions, which entails an ability to thrive off the ball.

[Marcus13]

He's not capable of effectively playing either position, but I agree he'd be a little more useful at the Point

[Lucky17]

If he could somehow develop some passing proficiency at knocking down the corner three, he'd become a productive rotation player.

Loved his defense last night. That kind of performance is something that can earn him a spot in the league, if he can also elevate his offense.

[Chief]

Doc usually has him on the floor with Moore, Pietrus, KG, Bass. If the Big Three are not traded, Paul or Ray need to come off the bench and help.

[KGHurtYourFeelings]

His defense is great. He needs a tremendous amount of work on his ballhandling if he is going to be an NBA point guard.

Yup.

[jr_3421]

If he could somehow develop some passing proficiency at knocking down the corner three, he'd become a productive rotation player.

I agree long term, but right now that's not his skill set. Avery has to realize (and Doc for that matter) that he is most effective shooting midrange off the dribbe and stick with that for now. I know he has been awful but coming out of college and high school, that was his strength. I think his confidence and energy he uses on defense are more of a cause for his poor shooting than skill.

[snively]

As long as you have a high-quality play-maker at another position, you can get away with Bradley at the point.

I'd like to see Doc stagger Pierce's minutes similar to KG, in a way that he'll see more time with the bench and help guys like Bradley, Dooling, Bass and Pietrus play to their strengths.

He seems to prefer Ray in that role, but I think Pierce is better suited to it.  He likes Pierce with Rondo (allows him to focus on scoring instead of play-making), but I think the team will be better off when Paul wears both hats at varying times.

[TheTruthFot18]

IDK if pg is the right label as much as combo guard who takes over ball handling duties. Regardless his development should continue since last night was a good show of what he can do with decent minutes. Although still too inexperienced to consistently produce like that (especially against CP3, DWill, Rose type guys), this is as good of a sign that he is ready to have a serious role here.

Speaking of developing, with guys out and a blowout on hand, why didn't JJJ get in earlier? Unlike Steamer, Moore, and Bradley he's looked fairly consistent and worthy of a few minutes per game. Aside from Bradleys recent development, I look forward to him getting on the court each game. Please play him Doc!

[ScoobyDoo]

I agree, point guard. He can be a bully at that position, especially once his offense develops more.

I also think he can play "some" off guard in the right match ups and he should be developed for that as well and plan on playing both spots.

Emphasis - point
Occasional - off

Ball handling is something that should be able to be developed if he works at it and he doesn't have to be Houdini with the ball, just adequate / capable. He is far better this year than he was last year. 

[droopdog7]

I agree, point guard. He can be a bully at that position, especially once his offense develops more.

I also think he can play "some" off guard in the right match ups and he should be developed for that as well and plan on playing both spots.

Emphasis - point
Occasional - off

Ball handling is something that should be able to be developed if he works at it and he doesn't have to be Houdini with the ball, just adequate / capable. He is far better this year than he was last year. 

My sentiments exactly.  He can be physically dominant against many other PG's.  This is very important. 

[Fafnir]

As long as you have a high-quality play-maker at another position, you can get away with Bradley at the point.

I'd like to see Doc stagger Pierce's minutes similar to KG, in a way that he'll see more time with the bench and help guys like Bradley, Dooling, Bass and Pietrus play to their strengths.

He seems to prefer Ray in that role, but I think Pierce is better suited to it.  He likes Pierce with Rondo (allows him to focus on scoring instead of play-making), but I think the team will be better off when Paul wears both hats at varying times.

The past two years Ray's on court numbers with the bench have been far superior to Pierce's, despite Pierce's shot creation and ball handling making it seem like he'd be more natural in that role.

This year I don't think that's panned out as well.