Is Avery Bradley destined to be a Bust?!

[nickagneta]

I've been impressed with his defense, but offensively he's been pretty bad. It's pretty clear to me that he's not a point, he looks nervous and uncomfortable bringing the ball up. He won't be a bust, but I'm not sure we're the best situation for him is. We're pretty set at the point with Rondo, and I like Nate as a backup. I feel Avery is a shooting guard, but I would hate to play him there with this team. He's either going to develop in practice/riding the pine or we trade him and he finds a role elsewhere.

The only extended minutes I've seen from him he was burned badly by a second stringer in Teague.  Doc talks a lot about his D being ready, and I'll take his word on it I suppose, but he's been pretty iffy in the minutes I've seen.

Up until that game against Atlanta and him getting torched by Jeff Teague, Bradley had shown some excellent man defense skills. Given that that Atlanta game and the Indy game where he didn't play all that great either are the last things people have seen it is what most people remember, but before that, in his limited minutes, his defense was very good.

[LooseCannon]

Avery Bradley's best case scenario is probably something like Monta Ellis with less offense and more defense.  I can see how some fans wouldn't want that sort of player on the team even if he fully realized his potential. 

I'm pessimistic about trying to turn undersized shooting guards into point guards because it never works.  I would rather work on just getting Bradley to be a credible shooting guard before trying to teach him point guard skills.  He could really use some time on the floor next to a true point guard who can deliver him the ball for a catch-and-shoot mid-range jumper.  I don't expect his point guard skills to get much better than "Ray Allen, emergency point guard" level and I am not sure he will reach that level.

I do think Bradley will surpass the low bar of being a more significant NBA player than Bill Walker (who seems to be the worst defensive player on the Knicks, by the way).

[ManUp]

I've been impressed with his defense, but offensively he's been pretty bad. It's pretty clear to me that he's not a point, he looks nervous and uncomfortable bringing the ball up. He won't be a bust, but I'm not sure we're the best situation for him is. We're pretty set at the point with Rondo, and I like Nate as a backup. I feel Avery is a shooting guard, but I would hate to play him there with this team. He's either going to develop in practice/riding the pine or we trade him and he finds a role elsewhere.

The only extended minutes I've seen from him he was burned badly by a second stringer in Teague.  Doc talks a lot about his D being ready, and I'll take his word on it I suppose, but he's been pretty iffy in the minutes I've seen.

Everybody gets burned on defense eventually. Bradley does a great job pressuring the ball and getting it out of the pointguards hands from what I've seen. I've noticed a lot of guys would rather get rid of the ball then go up againts him bringing the ball up. Also Reds Army made some nice observations that are worth taking a look at.

Here's the link
http://www.redsarmy.com/home/2010/12/the-defense-does-not-rest-with-avery-bradley.html

It's not much and it's after one game, but I've seen more good defense then bad from him.

[Brendan]

I'll be honest, my assessment of his D is based on ATL game - which I was at, and where we desperately needed D from a guard (West, Wafer, Rondo all went out.) Bradley had to be pulled his D was so bad, Teague? was burning him. They could have lived with just bad offense.

That steals number is good news, again something I wouldn't have picked up in person. I'm just not sure steals are enough for an offensively challenged combo guard.

BTW - I think the pressure and lack of experience could easily make him tentative, which in turn hurts his dribbling and ability to initiate the offense, so: I don't assume he'll be this bad of a dribbler going forward. Let's just say the floor has gotten lower.

[wiley]

I'm not concerned about his offense, defense, or the fact that he's 6'2".

The only possible concern from my perspective is ball handling/dribbling (haven't seen him so no idea), which has gotten lots of attention in this disturbing thread. 

And it brings up a question:  is ball handling or just plain old dribbling the hardest thing for scouts to predict?  If so, is this due to the fact that many scouts brush it off, figuring, oh his handle will come around eventually and catch up with his ability to put the ball in the hole, his defense, etc....But then, in some cases it just doesn't catch up?  Or, they just can't dribble under NBA pressure?  I ask because the Celtics were bit by the dribbling issue with Gabe, J.R. and to some extent Tony (some extent because he made up for it a lot of times or had good stretches of ball handling).

Well, I think Bradley showed enough offense before entering the league...he may be a streaky scorer but he will score imo.  And he'll defend well.  The problem is will he ever get any time at 2-guard.  I was assuming that his long arms and defensive skills meant yes.  But the Celtics keep indicating it's PG or bust.  Or do they?

Even a 2-guard needs to be able to dribble well.  I hope if it is in fact broken that it's fixable!

[LooseCannon]

One of the knocks against Bradley before the draft was concern that he didn't have the ball-handling skills to play point guard.  It's not something that scouts ignored.  He has been described as somewhat turnover-prone.

He was always considered to be a project player as a PG.  His defense and jump shot were considered good enough that he was thought capable of playing some minutes at SG, but to be a true combo guard, he would need to go to the D-League to learn.  Since he has never really played significant minutes at PG in high school or college, it's a bit ludicrous to think he can step into that role in the NBA without it likely being a disaster. 

[Roy H.]

One thing to keep in mind with Bradley is that he's not seeing a lot of practice time:

The Celtics have practiced only sporadically over the last month or so. Part of that is the schedule -- they never practice after back-to-backs – and part of that is due to the injuries. For the first time in weeks, Rivers actually had 12 players available, and even Kendrick Perkins went through the non-contact portion.

Considering the lack of time, and the public audience, Rivers expected this practice to be sloppy, and it was to a certain extent. “Listen,” Rivers said to his team. “We’re playing hard, but we’re fouling a lot and we’re turning the ball over a lot.”

That is about as stern as it gets. There are no histrionics, just the occasional forceful reminder when someone goes the wrong way on a set. There is, however, a lot of teaching. Rookie guard Avery Bradley receives the bulk of the tutorials, which makes sense because with Rajon Rondo and Delonte West out of the lineup with injuries, Bradley is being force-fed minutes.

“I think there’s far more teaching in NBA practices than people realize and there’s far more structure and far more detail,” Rivers said. “I always say we have to teach the college kids when they come in the league. They don’t know as much as you think they would know and most of what they learn is probably in this league. They get the credit back in college and that’s fine with us as long as we win.”

This is a kid who missed summer league, training camp, pre-season, and the beginning of the regular season.  Now, the team is engaging in sporadic practices, and is having him learn on the job.  It's not difficult to see why he's struggling, especially since he was considered raw coming out of college.

[Fafnir]

One thing to keep in mind with Bradley is that he's not seeing a lot of practice time:

This is a kid who missed summer league, training camp, pre-season, and the beginning of the regular season.  Now, the team is engaging in sporadic practices, and is having him learn on the job.  It's not difficult to see why he's struggling, especially since he was considered raw coming out of college.

He's also entering a pretty pressure filled situation. Its hard to be a good rookie on a contending team. That is a lot of pressure on a young man.

No training camp, not much practice, new position, lots of pressure, and not many minutes is not a recipe for success.

Will he work out, who knows. The hit rate for the 19th pick of the draft range isn't all that high.

[Chris]

One thing to keep in mind with Bradley is that he's not seeing a lot of practice time:

This is a kid who missed summer league, training camp, pre-season, and the beginning of the regular season.  Now, the team is engaging in sporadic practices, and is having him learn on the job.  It's not difficult to see why he's struggling, especially since he was considered raw coming out of college.

He's also entering a pretty pressure filled situation. Its hard to be a good rookie on a contending team. That is a lot of pressure on a young man.

No training camp, not much practice, new position, lots of pressure, and not many minutes is not a recipe for success.

Will he work out, who knows. The hit rate for the 19th pick of the draft range isn't all that high.

These are the exact reasons why it kills me every time he steps on the floor.  I think these minutes are hurting more than helping.  I am sure Doc is praying for West to get back soon, not only for the team, but so he can get this kid up to Portland where he belongs.

I don't see him turning anything around until he has a chance to build some confidence against some lesser competition.

[moiso]

I'm not concerned about his offense, defense, or the fact that he's 6'2".

The only possible concern from my perspective is ball handling/dribbling (haven't seen him so no idea), which has gotten lots of attention in this disturbing thread. 

And it brings up a question:  is ball handling or just plain old dribbling the hardest thing for scouts to predict?  If so, is this due to the fact that many scouts brush it off, figuring, oh his handle will come around eventually and catch up with his ability to put the ball in the hole, his defense, etc....But then, in some cases it just doesn't catch up?  Or, they just can't dribble under NBA pressure?  I ask because the Celtics were bit by the dribbling issue with Gabe, J.R. and to some extent Tony (some extent because he made up for it a lot of times or had good stretches of ball handling).

Well, I think Bradley showed enough offense before entering the league...he may be a streaky scorer but he will score imo.  And he'll defend well.  The problem is will he ever get any time at 2-guard.  I was assuming that his long arms and defensive skills meant yes.  But the Celtics keep indicating it's PG or bust.  Or do they?

Even a 2-guard needs to be able to dribble well.  I hope if it is in fact broken that it's fixable!

I can't think of any players who came into the league unable to dribble and then became good dribblers.  I think he would be able to dribble by his age if it's going to be in the cards.  Sure, he can work on it, but I think it's a skill that you either have or don't have.

For now I'll just hope confidence is a big factor in his poor ballhandling.  But then again, how can a guy ever be confident when he has to worry about the oposition picking his pocket on every play.  It must be pretty scary for him.

[Fafnir]

I'm not concerned about his offense, defense, or the fact that he's 6'2".

The only possible concern from my perspective is ball handling/dribbling (haven't seen him so no idea), which has gotten lots of attention in this disturbing thread. 

And it brings up a question:  is ball handling or just plain old dribbling the hardest thing for scouts to predict?  If so, is this due to the fact that many scouts brush it off, figuring, oh his handle will come around eventually and catch up with his ability to put the ball in the hole, his defense, etc....But then, in some cases it just doesn't catch up?  Or, they just can't dribble under NBA pressure?  I ask because the Celtics were bit by the dribbling issue with Gabe, J.R. and to some extent Tony (some extent because he made up for it a lot of times or had good stretches of ball handling).

Well, I think Bradley showed enough offense before entering the league...he may be a streaky scorer but he will score imo.  And he'll defend well.  The problem is will he ever get any time at 2-guard.  I was assuming that his long arms and defensive skills meant yes.  But the Celtics keep indicating it's PG or bust.  Or do they?

Even a 2-guard needs to be able to dribble well.  I hope if it is in fact broken that it's fixable!

I can't think of any players who came into the league unable to dribble and then became good dribblers.  I think he would be able to dribble by his age if it's going to be in the cards.  Sure, he can work on it, but I think it's a skill that you either have or don't have.

For now I'll just hope confidence is a big factor in his poor ballhandling.  But then again, how can a guy ever be confident when he has to worry about the oposition picking his pocket on every play.  It must be pretty scary for him.

I think you're a little quick in declaring him unable to dribble. Much like this thread is overly quick to ask a question on whether or not he's a bust. The kid has only played 38 minutes.

[Sizzlack]

Ball handling is more confidence and control than it is skill.

Tons of players have worked on their handles as their careers began, and as they gained confidence, become far better ball handlers.

At the NBA level of the game, the talent is there for every single player, they wouldn't be there is it wasn't.

The work ethic, the confidence, and sometimes just pure luck, are what separates the players that make it and the ones that don't, so very often.

I don't know what kind of player Bradley is, but this thread is pointless because it was far too early to have any idea whatsoever whether or not he'll be able to put it together. Only time will tell.

[snowball]

Still unhappy with the Bradley signing here.
In my opinion, our youth should be possible
replacements for the Big Three, not Rondo/Nate.

Harangody looks like a winner and I want to see
this kid Tiny Gallon out there.

[EJPLAYA]

I'm not concerned about his offense, defense, or the fact that he's 6'2".

The only possible concern from my perspective is ball handling/dribbling (haven't seen him so no idea), which has gotten lots of attention in this disturbing thread.  

And it brings up a question:  is ball handling or just plain old dribbling the hardest thing for scouts to predict?  If so, is this due to the fact that many scouts brush it off, figuring, oh his handle will come around eventually and catch up with his ability to put the ball in the hole, his defense, etc....But then, in some cases it just doesn't catch up?  Or, they just can't dribble under NBA pressure?  I ask because the Celtics were bit by the dribbling issue with Gabe, J.R. and to some extent Tony (some extent because he made up for it a lot of times or had good stretches of ball handling).

Well, I think Bradley showed enough offense before entering the league...he may be a streaky scorer but he will score imo.  And he'll defend well.  The problem is will he ever get any time at 2-guard.  I was assuming that his long arms and defensive skills meant yes.  But the Celtics keep indicating it's PG or bust.  Or do they?

Even a 2-guard needs to be able to dribble well.  I hope if it is in fact broken that it's fixable!

I can't think of any players who came into the league unable to dribble and then became good dribblers.  I think he would be able to dribble by his age if it's going to be in the cards.  Sure, he can work on it, but I think it's a skill that you either have or don't have.

For now I'll just hope confidence is a big factor in his poor ballhandling.  But then again, how can a guy ever be confident when he has to worry about the oposition picking his pocket on every play.  It must be pretty scary for him.

I think you're a little quick in declaring him unable to dribble. Much like this thread is overly quick to ask a question on whether or not he's a bust. The kid has only played 38 minutes.

He has only played 38 minutes because he is so awful on the floor Doc can't GIVE him any more minutes. It is a real simple task to see if a guy can dribble or not. As many on here agree the guy can't. Otherwise he wouldn't be picking up the ball before or barely over half court when pressured. While a player can become a BETTER ball handler through his NBA career, he can't go from being a poor ball-handler to being a good one. He won't see enough court time to make much improvement, and you can either dribble at an NBA level PG or you can't. Complete scrubs come out there in the NBA that can't even make the team but can dribble the basketball. Bradley can't.

As far as it being "overly quick" to ask a question I'd have two thoughts. One would be why is  that when our first round pick who the team actually needs to play a few minutes due to injuries, and he gets quickly yanked out because he is so bad? There have been enough repeats of this to fairly ask this question. Two would be… Isn't this a blog. Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing is throwing out hypotheticals and having everyone discuss things?! There has been enough support on my side of the comment that it obviously isn't as ridiculous as you make it out to be. At least worth a debate since there have been 3200 plus reads and over 100 posts… Would it be more appropriate for us to start another "sign Toine" thread, or admitting your man love?! To each his own I guess.

[Interceptor]

This thread is hilarious.

Here we have a kid who is very nearly in the worst possible situation for his nerves -- inexperienced, playing his first year, coming off an injury, unable to get in serious practice time, playing for a contender with millions on eyes on him, last line of defense in an injury-thinned line-up -- is anyone really surprised that he's a mess when he hits the floor?  The chance of getting an accurate read of his potential, under these circumstances, is a really small number with a lot of decimal places. 

There is time enough for him to be anything from a bust, to a steal, and anything in between.