Avery Bradley: 2nd best SG in the Eastern Conference

[moiso]

If the Magic use Oladipo mostly at SG I'd consider him above Bradley, and I think Caldwell-Pope is a sleeper choice for a breakout season not saying I would have him about Bradley though.   

I'd like to say he has a chance of passing J Johnson next year, but Hohnsin hit some big money shots for the Nets last year, and with Pierce gone they will more likely count on him more this year.

What about our own Smart passing Bradley this year as a SG.

Tommy played for the Nets last year

[Vox_Populi]

ESPN did their annual forcecast a while back, and these were their rankings for the top 10 shooting guards for next season.

1.   Harden
2.   Wade
3.   Ellis
4.   Butler (wut)
5.   Waiters
6.   Evans
7.   Oladipo
8.   Thompson
9.   Ginóbili
10. Stephenson

The rest: Bryant, Beal, (Danny) Green, Matthews, J.R., J.J., and DeRozan

I thought it was a mess. But regardless, going by their WARP projections, Bradley won't even be a top 5 SG in the East.

[JBcat]

If the Magic use Oladipo mostly at SG I'd consider him above Bradley, and I think Caldwell-Pope is a sleeper choice for a breakout season not saying I would have him about Bradley though.   

I'd like to say he has a chance of passing J Johnson next year, but Hohnsin hit some big money shots for the Nets last year, and with Pierce gone they will more likely count on him more this year.

What about our own Smart passing Bradley this year as a SG.

Tommy played for the Nets last year

Lol I guess sometimes that happens when typing on a cell phone.

[fitzhickey]

Wade, Stephenson, Beal and Waiters are all better than him IMO, with Oladipo about equal.

[action781]

ESPN did their annual forcecast a while back, and these were their rankings for the top 10 shooting guards for next season.

1.   Harden
2.   Wade
3.   Ellis
4.   Butler (wut)
5.   Waiters
6.   Evans
7.   Oladipo
8.   Thompson
9.   Ginóbili
10. Stephenson

The rest: Bryant, Beal, (Danny) Green, Matthews, J.R., J.J., and DeRozan

I thought it was a mess. But regardless, going by their WARP projections, Bradley won't even be a top 5 SG in the East.

Even ESPN being the hype machine that it is, I still find it hard to believe that knowledgeable basketball followers consider Harden the best SG in the league.  His defensive woes are not exaggerated at all; he truly is inexcusably horrible at defense.  I'd take Wade, Kobe, Thompson all over Harden for next season.  Maybe others too.

[TheFlex]

Remember Bradley is only 23. Here's an interesting tidbit that didn't receive much attention from June of this year, right around the time the Cs offered him a deal (http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/11156645/restricted-free-agent-avery-bradley-wants-remain-boston-celtics):

Bradley, who is spending much of his summer in Austin, Texas, said some Celtics trainers visited him early in the offseason to help install a program for him. He said he's up to 200 pounds -- about 20 pounds above his usual playing weight

Bradley's ability to consistently improve despite injuries and missed time seems to ignored by many around here. He's added to his range shooting game every year which greatly enhances his already-excellent value when playing off the ball. He is not quite the defender he once was; some of that has to do with injury, a lot has to do with a burdensome offensive load. Hopefully the injuries can be solved with the added weight, and I expect him to have more energy on defense with a revamped guard rotation that includes healthy Rondo, Smart, Thornton, Turner and even Young and Pressey. I really think Avery Bradley has All-Star potential.

That said, I don't think he'll make an All-Star team until he's about 26 or 27. Here how I think it'll look like by the end of the season:

DeRozan
Beal
Wade
Stephenson
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Joe Johnson
A. Bradley
Victor Oladipo
Kyle Korver
Dion Waiters
Jimmy Butler
Tim Hardaway, Jr.
K. Caldwell-Pope

[Beat LA]

A few things. 

1).  The Celtics and ESPN don't mix - they're like oil and water, because Boston seems to invariably beat their poster boys and money makers lol. 

2).  There's no way that Bradley is the 2nd best shooting guard in the eastern conference.  No way.  I like Avery, but that's just ridiculous.  If we're talking about when healthy, the list has to be Wade (unfortunately haha), Joe Johnson, Lance Stephenson, Demar Derozan, Bradley Beal, etc.  I haven't seen Oladipo play, and the Greek Freak is a small forward, not a shooting guard, imo, even with Jabari there.  I have no clue how that combination is going to work, especially with Kidd at the helm   Jimmy Butler, Kyle Korver, and Tim Hardaway Jr do not belong on that list, imo, but Waiters and Caldwell-Pope are probably better than AB as well. 

3).  Joe Johnson, like Paul Pierce, will age very well, because he's a great shooter and passer with excellent ball handling skills and footwork, and his game has never been based on athleticism.  Plus, given his size and strength, in a year or two he could easily make the switch to being a small forward.  I know that people like to talk about his contract, but I still think that he's one of the most underrated players in the game, he's ridiculously clutch, and he's one of the best closers, if not the best, in the league, imo.  He's like the Paul Pierce of shooting guards in terms of how little praise and recognition he gets, unfortunately. 

[Beat LA]

Remember Bradley is only 23. Here's an interesting tidbit that didn't receive much attention from June of this year, right around the time the Cs offered him a deal (http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/11156645/restricted-free-agent-avery-bradley-wants-remain-boston-celtics):

Bradley, who is spending much of his summer in Austin, Texas, said some Celtics trainers visited him early in the offseason to help install a program for him. He said he's up to 200 pounds -- about 20 pounds above his usual playing weight

Bradley's ability to consistently improve despite injuries and missed time seems to ignored by many around here. He's added to his range shooting game every year which greatly enhances his already-excellent value when playing off the ball. He is not quite the defender he once was; some of that has to do with injury, a lot has to do with a burdensome offensive load. Hopefully the injuries can be solved with the added weight, and I expect him to have more energy on defense with a revamped guard rotation that includes healthy Rondo, Smart, Thornton, Turner and even Young and Pressey. I really think Avery Bradley has All-Star potential.

That said, I don't think he'll make an All-Star team until he's about 26 or 27. Here how I think it'll look like by the end of the season:

DeRozan
Beal
Wade
Stephenson
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Joe Johnson
A. Bradley
Victor Oladipo
Kyle Korver
Dion Waiters
Jimmy Butler
Tim Hardaway, Jr.
K. Caldwell-Pope

I was going to mention that about Bradley.  That's one of the things I really like about him.  However good, or, hopefully, great, he turns out to be, he's doing what all the great ones always do in the offseason by adding something else to his game.  Last year it was the ability to come off a pick/pick-and-roll and shoot, and I hope that this will be the year in which he incorporates much-improved ball-handling to his repertoire, but that's just me.

In terms of his defense, "not being what it once was," let me point out that he isn't even 24 yet and you're already saying that he's lost a step/regressing lol?  Really?  That's not the issue here.  The reason why his and Rondo's defense has slipped is because Garnett isn't there protecting the rim and being the quarterback of our defense.  That's a big hole that won't ever be fully replaced, and yet a lot of people seem to miss that point about the value of having easily one of the greatest defensive communicators of all time on the court.

[TheFlex]

Remember Bradley is only 23. Here's an interesting tidbit that didn't receive much attention from June of this year, right around the time the Cs offered him a deal (http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/11156645/restricted-free-agent-avery-bradley-wants-remain-boston-celtics):

Bradley, who is spending much of his summer in Austin, Texas, said some Celtics trainers visited him early in the offseason to help install a program for him. He said he's up to 200 pounds -- about 20 pounds above his usual playing weight

Bradley's ability to consistently improve despite injuries and missed time seems to ignored by many around here. He's added to his range shooting game every year which greatly enhances his already-excellent value when playing off the ball. He is not quite the defender he once was; some of that has to do with injury, a lot has to do with a burdensome offensive load. Hopefully the injuries can be solved with the added weight, and I expect him to have more energy on defense with a revamped guard rotation that includes healthy Rondo, Smart, Thornton, Turner and even Young and Pressey. I really think Avery Bradley has All-Star potential.

That said, I don't think he'll make an All-Star team until he's about 26 or 27. Here how I think it'll look like by the end of the season:

DeRozan
Beal
Wade
Stephenson
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Joe Johnson
A. Bradley
Victor Oladipo
Kyle Korver
Dion Waiters
Jimmy Butler
Tim Hardaway, Jr.
K. Caldwell-Pope

I was going to mention that about Bradley.  That's one of the things I really like about him.  However good, or, hopefully, great, he turns out to be, he's doing what all the great ones always do in the offseason by adding something else to his game.  Last year it was the ability to come off a pick/pick-and-roll and shoot, and I hope that this will be the year in which he incorporates much-improved ball-handling to his repertoire, but that's just me.

In terms of his defense, "not being what it once was," let me point out that he isn't even 24 yet and you're already saying that he's lost a step/regressing lol?  Really?  That's not the issue here.  The reason why his and Rondo's defense has slipped is because Garnett isn't there protecting the rim and being the quarterback of our defense.  That's a big hole that won't ever be fully replaced, and yet a lot of people seem to miss that point about the value of having easily one of the greatest defensive communicators of all time on the court.

It's pretty clear based on what I wrote that I wasn't suggesting Bradley couldn't return to his normal defensive excellence. I don't see how I implied that his level of defense was not re-obtainable due to age or devastating injury. I clearly explained that much of his defensive regression was due to the Celtics being a bad offensive team and missed time due to injuries. And I also state that I expect him to return to being the perimeter defender he was his first couple of years in the league.

I agree with you on P&R. It's a very simple offensive scheme that can do a lot for a player's on-ball abilities. If Bradley can continue molding himself into an average/above-average on-ball player and combine that with his fantastic off-ball and defensive abilities, he could be an All-Star, as we've both suggested.

[Donoghus]

There's no way Bradley is the 2nd best SG in the Eastern Conference right now.  He's probably not even in the top 5.

Now, by season's end, he may make top 5 but I don't see how he can be there right now.

[D.o.s.]

ESPN did their annual forcecast a while back, and these were their rankings for the top 10 shooting guards for next season.

1.   Harden
2.   Wade
3.   Ellis
4.   Butler (wut)
5.   Waiters
6.   Evans
7.   Oladipo
8.   Thompson
9.   Ginóbili
10. Stephenson

The rest: Bryant, Beal, (Danny) Green, Matthews, J.R., J.J., and DeRozan

I thought it was a mess. But regardless, going by their WARP projections, Bradley won't even be a top 5 SG in the East.

Even ESPN being the hype machine that it is, I still find it hard to believe that knowledgeable basketball followers consider Harden the best SG in the league.  His defensive woes are not exaggerated at all; he truly is inexcusably horrible at defense.  I'd take Wade, Kobe, Thompson all over Harden for next season.  Maybe others too.

You'd take Kobe over Harden? Seriously?

[Rondo9]

There's no way Bradley is the 2nd best SG in the Eastern Conference right now.  He's probably not even in the top 5.

Now, by season's end, he may make top 5 but I don't see how he can be there right now.

Will he in the top 10?

[Jailan34]

Even with his improved shooting his height will always limit him. Unless he becomes as good a handler and playmaker as Stephenson he won't ever be a real quality starter. IMO he is just an average player right now. Pretty good shooter, good D and undersized and often injured.

[Donoghus]

There's no way Bradley is the 2nd best SG in the Eastern Conference right now.  He's probably not even in the top 5.

Now, by season's end, he may make top 5 but I don't see how he can be there right now.

Will he in the top 10?

For the East?  Oh yeah, I would think so.  Especially if he remains healthy. 

[celticslove]

top 2? no way, with his suspect dribbling ability, limited height and being prone to being hurt i seriously doubt he will reach that.