less than it was half a season ago
More than it was half a season ago because he's not injured.
If a team asks for a young player and a draft pick in return for an established veteran, I think some teams will prefer Bradley over Sullinger and some teams won't.
I think his value was over rated a half season ago. Once he came back and stunk on both ends of the floor, and let Felton abuse him, his value has really taken a hit. I find it hard to believe that any team would value him over Sullinger.
In all fairness, he returned from shoulder surgery on Jan 2nd, only to have Boston go on and win 6 of his first 7 games back. Rondo then tore his acl on Jan 25th. So they got to play a total of about 3 weeks together and Bradley was thrust into starting PG role, which is where he clearly does not belong. Thus, his play suffered.
He still managed to lead the league in fewest points per play allowed on defense, at 0.697.
He shot 40% from 3pt last season so he is capable and has a nice stroke.
He still needs to work on being more consistent with his outside shot and overall play (like most 22 year olds).
He will likely never be much of a playmaker but as long as he is playing with a decent PG he does not need to be.
He's a terrible passer. His passing is poor for a big man, never mind a guard. He is a mediocre shooter, and a very poor ball handler. He also cannot finish at the basket. He does only one thing well, and that is pressure the opposing teams point guard, which he couldn't even do against Felton. Combine all this with the fact that NBA refs more often than not won't allow him to use his defensive pressure without fouling, and the probability that he will break down at an early age from his style of play and body type, his value is very low.
He's one of the best cutters in the NBA. Elite level, knows when to move off ball, especially on the weak side. Guys like Bradley thrive playing along with guys like Rondo.
I think Bradley's worth more to this team than most others.
My hypothesis is that when Rondo comes back, Bradley starts scoring off him more and doesn't have to worry about handling the ball all the time/being the distributor. His confidence would sky rocket and then he would start to make his jump shots.
Wow, this "he's a good cutter" idea has gotten totally blown out of proportion. He was an ok cutter for a rookie. Elite NBA level cutter !?!?!? Really??? He got left open often because he is a poor offensive player among 4 all stars. Let's see how useful his cuts are when KG and Pierce are gone. Also, you have to finish for your cuts to be of any use.
Yes, I really do believe so. He's so good at cutting. He's made my jaw drop sometimes with how effortlessly he can create easy opportunities for himself. There are only a handful of other players in the NBA who can make cutting look so amazing for him, and that's why I consider him elite (Rip, Ray, Wade, among others). His timing is so great. I've went out of my way to even study some of his cuts some times because he's so natural at it.
This is the NBA. No matter how bad a player is, you can't let him get easy layups on you. There is no excuse for that. You won't see somebody say "This guy sucks on offense so I'm going to completely play off of him and not even bother to pay attention to him at all."
You don't have to be a sure fire HOF to hit an open cutter. Heck, throw me in there and I'm sure I could do good too. The fact of the matter is that the Celtics don't have me - they have Rondo. Rondo is an elite passer - I think Bradley would enjoy playing off him more than off Pierce/KG. And they did for half of a season 2 years ago.
He does finish them. He can make layups. Sure, he misses around 5-10% of them. That shouldn't mean you can magnify that percentage without looking at the other 90-95% of the time he finishes well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYvHBjcV8S8
You know you are at least a "good" cutter when someone makes a youtube video about your cuts.
To each his own. I'd rather have a legit basketball player who can do things like dribbling and passing and shooting than an undersized, unskilled guy who gets open because the defense focuses on 4 all-stars. And no, he doesn't finish 90-95% of the time, not even close.
I'd like to point out some of the more breathtaking cuts -
:38
:53 (made the opposing crowd oooh - Rondo + Bradley = Entertainment)
2:16 (take notice of his super quick change in direction)
2:36 (Rondo is just amazing and Bradley played off-ball offense so well)
3:22 (this one shows his utter basketball instincts - most other SGs would give up on the play and let KG take a contested fadeaway)
The 90-95% is an exaggeration, but he finishes better than average. He's capable of making easy shot opportunities, and that's something, right?
We haven't had 4 all-stars since the 2010-2011 season. Bradley's break out season was in the 2011-2012 season.
The dribbling and passing becomes null playing alongside Rondo. That's why I feel like Rondo is one of, if not, the best back court partner for Bradley. His shooting is the X factor, though, but as I stated before, I feel like it will improve when he gains confidence (which he should get more of playing alongside Rondo). Also take account the defensive potential - Rondo can play taller than his actual size because of his long arms (makes him 6'6-ish). Him playing SG on defense and having Bradley guard the point is a potent, and is what was the driving force in the '12 season.