Danny Ainge loves Avery Bradley, but for good reason?

[csfansince60s]

I think Bradley and DWest make a good pairing, especially against second units initially.

DWest can handle most of the ball-handling with help from Bradley on offense. Both can score/shoot.

On D, Bradley takes the 1 and Delonte the 2.

[zerophase]

I don't know why everyone is saying that Bradley can't shoot. He can definitely shoot.

Nearly 70% of his field goal attempts last season were jump shots. His eFG% on those was below 20%.

http://www.82games.com/1011/10BOS4.HTM

If he's going to be a SG, he's got to work on the S part of the equation.

If he's going to be a PG, he's got a lot to learn there too.

I realize he's extremely young/raw. The question isn't whether he has potential, it's whether he can reach it in the Celtics system.

His minutes and attempts were so spotty and without much rhythm. I don't put too much weight on his stats this year.

He has a good track record of being a good mid range shooter in college and his form looks pretty decent.

Good Form on his jumper although it is a little flat. However, with his athleticism I'd rather see him try to get the ball to the hoop more than taking pull up jumpers. Teams gave him the jumper all the time, but I believe in his second year he passes up some of those decent shots for better ones closer to the rim.

Since he was used to being an elite defender at every level he played I think he was a little to aggressive on defense his rookie year. In his second year he will learn how to play NBA defense whcih will lead to less times when he over extends himself resulting in fouls or blow bys.

Let me clarify a bit. I didn't mean he could shoot like Ray Allen but he definitely has a jump shot. The fact that 70% of his shots were jump shots proves that he thinks he has a jump shot and has confidence in it. Again, like others said, it's hard for shooters to get a good rhythm without consistant minutes. Even Kevin Durant shot poor numbers his rookie season with consistant minutes. Give it time from his game to translate onto the court but I do think the jump shot is there.

[ScoobyDoo]

DWest, Bradley and Jeff Green - put the young athletes on the floor and let them run and apply energy. It's exactly what our vets are going to need if we want any chance at a ring next season.

Start from training camp and get them minutes together -

Then go get me a good, long, youngish PF who can run and play D. 

[EJPLAYA]

I don't know why everyone is saying that Bradley can't shoot. He can definitely shoot.

Nearly 70% of his field goal attempts last season were jump shots. His eFG% on those was below 20%.

http://www.82games.com/1011/10BOS4.HTM

If he's going to be a SG, he's got to work on the S part of the equation.

If he's going to be a PG, he's got a lot to learn there too.

I realize he's extremely young/raw. The question isn't whether he has potential, it's whether he can reach it in the Celtics system.

His minutes and attempts were so spotty and without much rhythm. I don't put too much weight on his stats this year.

He has a good track record of being a good mid range shooter in college and his form looks pretty decent.

Good Form on his jumper although it is a little flat. However, with his athleticism I'd rather see him try to get the ball to the hoop more than taking pull up jumpers. Teams gave him the jumper all the time, but I believe in his second year he passes up some of those decent shots for better ones closer to the rim.

Since he was used to being an elite defender at every level he played I think he was a little to aggressive on defense his rookie year. In his second year he will learn how to play NBA defense whcih will lead to less times when he over extends himself resulting in fouls or blow bys.

Let me clarify a bit. I didn't mean he could shoot like Ray Allen but he definitely has a jump shot. The fact that 70% of his shots were jump shots proves that he thinks he has a jump shot and has confidence in it. Again, like others said, it's hard for shooters to get a good rhythm without consistant minutes. Even Kevin Durant shot poor numbers his rookie season with consistant minutes. Give it time from his game to translate onto the court but I do think the jump shot is there.

BBD thinks he has a jumpshot and shoots them as well, but look where that gets us...

[xmuscularghandix]

Avery's got a lot of work to do before becoming a legit role player in the NBA. Hes young, raw, doesnt have a good NBA body yet, and lacks experience. He can move the heck out of his feet when hes playing D and his jumper looks pretty good. But as far as next year, I wouldnt be able to put much trust into him yet.

I guarantee that if The Spurs drafted him he'd already be a legit role player.

[Chris]

Didn't Bradley, unlike Walker and Giddens, have a strong freshman year at Texas though?  

Bradley was up and down.  He started off pretty bad, but came on at the end of the season.

Walker played just a couple games in his first season due to surgery (and he actually graduated highschool early, so it was a special situation anyways), and then had a very solid season in his first full season (significantly better statistically than Bradley on a very good team). Giddens also had a very solid freshman year at Kansas (almost identical statistically to Bradley's freshman season).

[LooseCannon]

Bradley was hurt by being hurt and not being able to do much during training camp.  It will probably be a bit of a lost season if the lockout creates an extremely shortened training camp.  They should just simplify things for him and make him a shooting guard only.  Tell him to provide good defense and get open for catch-and-shoot jumpers.

[Eja117]

Danny Ainge will keep saying good things about Avery right up to the day he trades or cuts him just like he did Jr Giddens.

[ctrey]

I watched Bradley at Texas. (I live in Houston) He is solid. He was considered one of the three best High School Prospects his senior year. He was in a system that did not allow him to show his best talents. However, watch enough film of him and you will come away very happy we got him at 19. Give him some time, I think we will see great strides from him next years.

[ctrey]

From Draftexpress.com last year. I think this bodes well:




West Coast Workout Swing Part 3: Joe Abunassar's Impact Basketball
May 19, 2010
Joseph Treutlein

Quite possibly the most impressive player in attendance here, Avery Bradley put on an outstanding shooting display in both drills and scrimmages, showing off his picture perfect form while many times making those in attendance wonder if he can miss a shot. In drills, Bradley looked very smooth pulling up off a confident dribble, knocking down a variety of shots, while also showing off his excellent athleticism in transition, putting his 37.5 inch vertical leap to good use.

Where Bradley really impressed though was the scrimmages, where his team rarely lost and he made great use of the floor’s spacing, getting to open spots of the floor with ease, showing no troubles getting separation from his man. With his excellent body control, balance, and elevation, Bradley just needs a glimmer of space to get his shot off, and he showed that especially playing the pick-and-roll game. Bradley hit a variety of pull-up jumpers from the mid-range and from behind the arc, many with a hand in his face, which didn’t seem to do much. He incorporated in some hesitation dribbles and fakes to get separation when his first move didn’t work, but mostly didn’t need it, just being so proficient out of simple pick-and-rolls.

Bradley was able to dominate constantly looking for his shot out of pick-and-rolls, but he didn’t really excel finding his teammates, something that wasn’t problematic here but did lead to some troubles at Texas this past season, as he’s prone to showing tunnel vision looking for his own shot. While it’s tough to take much concrete from these scrimmages, nothing we saw here suggested Bradley is yet ready to be a full-time point guard in the NBA, in line with what we saw from him all season.

Bradley also didn’t show much in terms of finishing at the rim, though to be fair the way he was playing, he didn’t need to try. He is a bouncy athlete in space for sure, but he did have some troubles finishing at the rim in college this season, and it’d be nice to see him continue to work on his floater.

Defensively, Bradley likewise shined, using his full 6’7 wingspan to great use, never giving up on a play, and constantly trying to affect plays from behind when beat. He did a good job battling through pick-and-rolls and played physical, intense defense pretty much every possession, having some great battles with the other small guards here. Bradley also appeared to be a very good teammate, encouraging others and being pretty vocal in general.

Seeing Bradley run so many pick-and-rolls and play in an environment with much more spacing than he saw at Texas, it’s not hard to see many reasons why he has the potential to be a better NBA player than he was in college, especially if he can go to a system that emphasizes those two concepts. Bradley’s 6’7 wingspan also bodes well for his chances of defending shooting guards at the next level, at least reserves, many of which are 6’5 and under. While there are questions about his position, Bradley certainly brings quite a few NBA skills to the table, and could be capable of contributing immediately in the right situation, though situation should be critical to his early chances at success.