Let's get real about Avery..

[Celtics18]

Two years ago, people were questioning whether Bradley would ever be an NBA player (he was 19 and came out of college too early).  Then last year it was "if he hadn't got hurt, we would have won the championship".  Quite a turn around for a 20 year old.

I liked what I saw in Bradley last year and predicted he would get better.  I saw Chancey Billups, not Marcus Banks.  He ended up ramping even faster than Billups did in his second year.

So last year, Bradley grew and became an NBA player.  This year I predict he becomes an NBA point guard, a back-up, and probably still playing the combo role, but yes, I believe that Bradley will be a fine back-up PG this year and ultimately a fine starting PG.  He won't be a PG in the Rondo mold but don't hold that against him.  I see him more in the Tony Parker mold but not exactly him either.  He will forge his own mold but he will be fine.

The questions are what do we do until he gets back and can we be sure he will in fact be fully healthy?

I think its been established that Avery is a 2 guard and thats where he plays best.

I certainly like him better at the two offensively, but the truth (as much as it hurts) seems to be that he is better defensively as a point guard.

Since when does that mean anything? Last year when AB and Rondo played together RR guarded the opposing 2 guards on a number of occasions to allow AB the chance to pressure the ball. AB is not pg and Doc acknowledged he made a mistake trying to force AB into that role. Doc also said in the Ryan interview that Lee would start and when AB came back "we'll see". By no means is AB certain to get his starting spot back. Either way I doubt it's gonna be an issue.

It means something to me.  I have visions of a back court of the future consisting of Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo wreaking havoc on opposing ball handlers and getting out in transition and playing off each other.  I would love nothing more than for that vision to come true.

I just think that oftentimes, if my dream is to become a reality, for it to be most effective, it might mean the two of them basically switching positions from offense to defense with Rajon (obviously) running the point on offense and Avery picking up the opposing lead guard bringing the ball up the court.

I do think that they will be able to co-exist together as a championship caliber starting back court, but I also think that it will be somewhat of an unproven experiment and not without some risks.

As far as it being an issue this year, I'm not saying that I think it will be a negative issue, but how Doc configures the backcourt rotation when everyone is healthy will undoubtedly be one of the biggest issues on the team.  Heck, he's already started making an issue out of it after the first pre-season game. 

[saltlover]

Two years ago, people were questioning whether Bradley would ever be an NBA player (he was 19 and came out of college too early).  Then last year it was "if he hadn't got hurt, we would have won the championship".  Quite a turn around for a 20 year old.

I liked what I saw in Bradley last year and predicted he would get better.  I saw Chancey Billups, not Marcus Banks.  He ended up ramping even faster than Billups did in his second year.

So last year, Bradley grew and became an NBA player.  This year I predict he becomes an NBA point guard, a back-up, and probably still playing the combo role, but yes, I believe that Bradley will be a fine back-up PG this year and ultimately a fine starting PG.  He won't be a PG in the Rondo mold but don't hold that against him.  I see him more in the Tony Parker mold but not exactly him either.  He will forge his own mold but he will be fine.

The questions are what do we do until he gets back and can we be sure he will in fact be fully healthy?

I think its been established that Avery is a 2 guard and thats where he plays best.

I certainly like him better at the two offensively, but the truth (as much as it hurts) seems to be that he is better defensively as a point guard.

Since when does that mean anything? Last year when AB and Rondo played together RR guarded the opposing 2 guards on a number of occasions to allow AB the chance to pressure the ball. AB is not pg and Doc acknowledged he made a mistake trying to force AB into that role. Doc also said in the Ryan interview that Lee would start and when AB came back "we'll see". By no means is AB certain to get his starting spot back. Either way I doubt it's gonna be an issue.

It means something to me.  I have visions of a back court of the future consisting of Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo wreaking havoc on opposing ball handlers and getting out in transition and playing off each other.  I would love nothing more than for that vision to come true.

I just think that oftentimes, if my dream is to become a reality, for it to be most effective, it might mean the two of them basically switching positions from offense to defense with Rajon (obviously) running the point on offense and Avery picking up the opposing lead guard bringing the ball up the court.

I do think that they will be able to co-exist together as a championship caliber starting back court, but I also think that it will be somewhat of an unproven experiment and not without some risks.

As far as it being an issue this year, I'm not saying that I think it will be a negative issue, but how Doc configures the backcourt rotation when everyone is healthy will undoubtedly be one of the biggest issues on the team.  Heck, he's already started making an issue out of it after the first pre-season game.

Rondo's playing 35-40 minutes a night.  Both AB and Lee will get their fair share of minutes with him on the court.    The only combo I don't expect to see much of is JET and AB (although I have little reason for that expectation -- just gut instinct.)

[byennie]

It remains to be seen what Avery's true upside is, but I for one think there is *plenty* of evidence that he is at least starter material. He played over 1200 minutes of basketball last year and was an elite defender, which matches up with college and scouting. Unless he suddenly develops a lousy attitude, that should stick.

On offense, I suppose he could regress, but:

* His midrange jumper has been solid (40%+)
* He's an excellent cutter and finisher at the basket
* He's excellent on the fast break
* 40% 3PT and 80% FT might not stick, but they certainly aren't bad signs

Put it this way, if he only played the same way as last year (12 PPG and elite defense), are there 10 better shooting guards in the league? I'd say no, and top-5 is attainable if he is a consistent offensive weapon. I can't imagine many guards matched head-to-head who would get the better of him on a regular basis, once you account for defense.

[Celtics18]

Two years ago, people were questioning whether Bradley would ever be an NBA player (he was 19 and came out of college too early).  Then last year it was "if he hadn't got hurt, we would have won the championship".  Quite a turn around for a 20 year old.

I liked what I saw in Bradley last year and predicted he would get better.  I saw Chancey Billups, not Marcus Banks.  He ended up ramping even faster than Billups did in his second year.

So last year, Bradley grew and became an NBA player.  This year I predict he becomes an NBA point guard, a back-up, and probably still playing the combo role, but yes, I believe that Bradley will be a fine back-up PG this year and ultimately a fine starting PG.  He won't be a PG in the Rondo mold but don't hold that against him.  I see him more in the Tony Parker mold but not exactly him either.  He will forge his own mold but he will be fine.

The questions are what do we do until he gets back and can we be sure he will in fact be fully healthy?

I think its been established that Avery is a 2 guard and thats where he plays best.

I certainly like him better at the two offensively, but the truth (as much as it hurts) seems to be that he is better defensively as a point guard.

Since when does that mean anything? Last year when AB and Rondo played together RR guarded the opposing 2 guards on a number of occasions to allow AB the chance to pressure the ball. AB is not pg and Doc acknowledged he made a mistake trying to force AB into that role. Doc also said in the Ryan interview that Lee would start and when AB came back "we'll see". By no means is AB certain to get his starting spot back. Either way I doubt it's gonna be an issue.

It means something to me.  I have visions of a back court of the future consisting of Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo wreaking havoc on opposing ball handlers and getting out in transition and playing off each other.  I would love nothing more than for that vision to come true.

I just think that oftentimes, if my dream is to become a reality, for it to be most effective, it might mean the two of them basically switching positions from offense to defense with Rajon (obviously) running the point on offense and Avery picking up the opposing lead guard bringing the ball up the court.

I do think that they will be able to co-exist together as a championship caliber starting back court, but I also think that it will be somewhat of an unproven experiment and not without some risks.

As far as it being an issue this year, I'm not saying that I think it will be a negative issue, but how Doc configures the backcourt rotation when everyone is healthy will undoubtedly be one of the biggest issues on the team.  Heck, he's already started making an issue out of it after the first pre-season game.

Rondo's playing 35-40 minutes a night.  Both AB and Lee will get their fair share of minutes with him on the court.    The only combo I don't expect to see much of is JET and AB (although I have little reason for that expectation -- just gut instinct.)

I actually think Terry and Bradley could be a pretty good combination in the backcourt.   Other than that, I have no disagreement with your post. 

[bfrombleacher]

Even if opponents scout him out on the offensive end, defensively he's still extremely effective. He's a much stronger defender than Courtney Lee. You can pencil that in.

Offensively, there's a lot to be hopeful about. He was one of the best scorers in high school I think.

[BASS_THUMPER]

its all gonna be on bradley...

when i twist my ankle and go play
ball the next day if it's tender
im a lil hesitant to start dunking
on fools and doin 360's from the freethrow
line holdin my ankle and bashing

when avery comes back i know his D will be there
but will he be afraid driving to the basket
in fear making contact and hurt his shoulders?

dude has heart..poppin his shoulder back in
a couple times a game and keep playin..?
i never seen that...not taking away from rondo

this is gonna be a true test for him

[SHAQATTACK]

BASically , its a wait and see deal.  Kid has a huge heart for the game.  I'm gonna say he is gonna make it back 100% or close by seasons end/playoffs barring nothing else happens to him.  He may be off his offensive game for a good while, his stroke /timing .  But I can see him regaining most of his defensive posture by March anyways.

He always looks so intense , even sitting on the bench injured.

He is not afraid of the challenge of making a come back and I know DA and Doc are gonna give him the time he needs to prove this .

[wdleehi]

What I hope and expect when he comes back:


Disruptive on the ball defender.  Has showed the ability to be among the top at this role in the NBA.

Be a respectable shooter.  Doesn't have to be great.  Just good enough that they stay close to him in the corner and are made to pay when they don't.

Keep slashing to the basket when the defender is not looking.  Rondo with the ball will make that defense pay with his passing.


I could see anywhere from 8 to 13 points a game this year when he is healthy. 

[erisred]

...I've been saying it since the C's drafted him. His upside is Joe Dumars, very effective combo guard with *excellent* defensive skills. He was ontrack last year until his shoulders "broke" and I expect him to be back ontrack by the middle of this season. Maybe he starts, maybe he comes off the bench, maybe he never is quite as good as Dumars was, but maybe he turns out to be better. Yeah, I think he'll be that good...eventually.

But, for goodness sake, the kid is still only 21 years old! Give him some time to develop.

I'll be perfectly happy if Courtney Lee plays so well that Bradley has to come off the bench this year. I'll be happy about it because I think Avery is going to be just as good by February of 2013 as he was by February of 2012...and getting better week by week...and in case anybody has forgotten that was DARN good!

[dtrader]

Its crazy to me how so many people on this forum called Jeremy Lin a product of his system, hes going to fall off next year, etc., but they say Bradley is just now scratching the surface. 

Avery Bradley was a good basketball player for about 2 months of 1 basketball season....A season where he played on a team where he drew the Least attention of the defense, and was the Least known to opposing teams. 

I dont see why anyone would think it was any more likely that he would play the way he did during his best 2 months, than he would during any other 2 month span over his career (whch would be absolutely horrible).

Avery Bradley is a great athlete, but an average basketball player at best.  He is an inconsistent shooter, a bad ball handler, a below average passer, a poor finisher (contrary to what most on here seem to think...He gets blocked+ his shot altered way too often for me to even call him an average finisher), and a below average defender at his position.

Yes...he's good at defending point guards.  However...he's a shooting guard (supposedly).  He is NOT good at guarding shooting guards.  Joe johnson, gerald henderson, gordan hayword, etc, all had their way with him due to their size advantages.  If he cant guard his own position, hes hurting our team.  It means our point guard has to either guard the other teams SG, or expect to consistently help.

Basically...he had a great 2 months, but unless he suddenly learns to pass and dribble at an NBA point guard level, I cant see him repeating his (brief) success from last season. 

[Jon]

I do think people are jumping the gun on Avery in some ways.  However, I do think several things are highly encouraging.

1) First and foremost, his man to man defense is elite and there's a case to be made that he's the best on the ball defender in the NBA.  That's not an aberration and should be a game-changer for his whole career.

2) He finally showed the shooting touch that he's always had.  This isn't a new wrinkle in his game.  Read the scouting report in college and high school on him.  One of the pluses in his game has always been his jumper.  It's good to see he found confidence in it. 

3) He picked up on the cutting game, playing very well without the ball.   

Now none of these things make him a superstar or even a future superstar, but these are all things that won't go away. 

I think at the very least, that makes him a solid rotation player on a contender who could start and certainly be a game-changer on defense. 

Now it'll be time to see if he can step up his offensive game more and begin to be a guy who can get his own shot.  If he can become one of those guys, he can be a star. 

But he's certainly not there yet.   

[moiso]

Its crazy to me how so many people on this forum called Jeremy Lin a product of his system, hes going to fall off next year, etc., but they say Bradley is just now scratching the surface. 

Avery Bradley was a good basketball player for about 2 months of 1 basketball season....A season where he played on a team where he drew the Least attention of the defense, and was the Least known to opposing teams. 

I dont see why anyone would think it was any more likely that he would play the way he did during his best 2 months, than he would during any other 2 month span over his career (whch would be absolutely horrible).

Avery Bradley is a great athlete, but an average basketball player at best.  He is an inconsistent shooter, a bad ball handler, a below average passer, a poor finisher (contrary to what most on here seem to think...He gets blocked+ his shot altered way too often for me to even call him an average finisher), and a below average defender at his position.

Yes...he's good at defending point guards.  However...he's a shooting guard (supposedly).  He is NOT good at guarding shooting guards.  Joe johnson, gerald henderson, gordan hayword, etc, all had their way with him due to their size advantages.  If he cant guard his own position, hes hurting our team.  It means our point guard has to either guard the other teams SG, or expect to consistently help.

Basically...he had a great 2 months, but unless he suddenly learns to pass and dribble at an NBA point guard level, I cant see him repeating his (brief) success from last season.

[moiso]

Bradley will still attract the least amount of defensive attention so that won't change for a while.

[rondohondo]

Its crazy to me how so many people on this forum called Jeremy Lin a product of his system, hes going to fall off next year, etc., but they say Bradley is just now scratching the surface. 

Avery Bradley was a good basketball player for about 2 months of 1 basketball season....A season where he played on a team where he drew the Least attention of the defense, and was the Least known to opposing teams. 

I dont see why anyone would think it was any more likely that he would play the way he did during his best 2 months, than he would during any other 2 month span over his career (whch would be absolutely horrible).

Avery Bradley is a great athlete, but an average basketball player at best.  He is an inconsistent shooter, a bad ball handler, a below average passer, a poor finisher (contrary to what most on here seem to think...He gets blocked+ his shot altered way too often for me to even call him an average finisher), and a below average defender at his position.

Yes...he's good at defending point guards.  However...he's a shooting guard (supposedly).  He is NOT good at guarding shooting guards.  Joe johnson, gerald henderson, gordan hayword, etc, all had their way with him due to their size advantages.  If he cant guard his own position, hes hurting our team.  It means our point guard has to either guard the other teams SG, or expect to consistently help.

Basically...he had a great 2 months, but unless he suddenly learns to pass and dribble at an NBA point guard level, I cant see him repeating his (brief) success from last season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ1xz-7OVh4

[Pucaccia]

Veal Scalabrine had mention that from an opposing player perspective, the opposing team use to talk about how disruptive Avery was. How they hated the fact that he would not let up. Any kind of production from AB is a plus whether he comes off the bench or not. If he comes off the bench, can you imagine the other teams 2nd unit guards trying to set up.