I would like AB to be able to finish a fast break.
Fixed that for you.
Bradley shot 61% at the rim for the year and 67% in the playoffs. That's pretty good. Where he struggles is outside the circle in the paint and just off the two blocks. He's also much more inconsistent than he is chided for being from the midrange. If you look at his bball-ref this is all easily accessible information.
Given your realist(/pessimist) nature, I would assume you think Bradley has topped out and I would agree with you on that. However Bradley is very strong at the rim and from 3. Those are the two most popular shots in today's game of basketball. Bradley is also strong defensively and can guard both backcourt positions. While he lacks the 3-position defensive versatility of a Draymond Green or a Trevor Ariza, Bradley has all the makings of an elite 3-and-D player at just 24. Every championship contender needs one of those guys, and some are even heralded members of such teams' starting lineups (Ariza, Danny Green, etc.).
edit: not trying to prop up a strawman argument in my second paragraph. Just infusing some positivity by pointing out that getting a Danny Green/Trevor Ariza in the second half of the draft is pretty good.
Well, the 67% in the playoffs is really 6 out of 9 shots, so let's not pretend it means anything. And it would help if we actually thought for a second about the shot mix Bradley is getting at the rim. If we do, here's what comes out...
Bradley is NOT a strong finisher off of dribble-drives. He shot 110 of 179 total at the rim, and 68% of his field goals were assisted (that's 74 shots). Taking these out, he's a putrid 34% (36 of 106).
For comparison, Isaiah Thomas shot 58% at the rim (126 of 216), and 23.8% of these were assisted (30 makes). Taking these out -- 51.6% on unassisted shots (96 of 186).
See where I'm heading with that? Sure, if you're happy that Bradley can make a wide open layup, then he's perhaps "strong at the rim". But it's just not working for him when he's trying to make it happen by himself, and anyone who's watched a Celtics game over the past couple of seasons probably knows that already.