Avery Bradley will be the next Russell Westbrook

[thestackshow]

Watching last nights game was all I needed to see.

When hes the #1 option he can put up numbers effortlessley and get to the free throw line. These things will only improve as he matures as a player.

To be honest he could have had 40+ points if he took the game over, but Doc has him on a tight leash, he told him to stop scoring and try to get other guys involved, he also benched him when he was hot for like half of the 4th quarter which I didnt understand.

The thing about watching Bradley play is that he can score from anywhere on the floor, these are the things I saw Bradley do last night.

- Can run off screens and make jumpers.
- Can shoot the corner 3.
- Pull up jumpers as well as pull up 3's
- Catch lobs and finish at the rim
- Fashbreak layups
- Floaters
- Layups
- Dunks
- Penetrate the lane to get to the free throw line
- Scoring when cutting to the hoop

And on top of all that be one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA?

Are you kidding me? This guy is for real.

[Celtics18]

Tommy thinks he's the next Bob Cousy

Tommy and Bob Cousy, himself, think Rondo is the next Bob Cousy.  They don't think Bradley is the next Bob Cousy.

[alajet]

Joe Johnson made a fool of Bradley the few times Bradley was stuck switching on him last night.

I get your point, but Joe can shoot over basically any other SG in the league with his size. He has the size of a SF, after all.
Gerald Henderson scoring over Bradley was more concerning, I guess.
Also, pressure applied by small players could fade within time, you're right. We have to just wait and see how his career shapes up. I hope (and know that you also hope) he goes against that trend and keeps same high level defense as his priority.

I also want to point out that Terry had a season in Dallas where he shot 48%, 44% from three (averaging 2 threes per night)... he's a career 85% free throw shooter... Career averages of 16 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.5 steals.   Don't scoff at the comparison.  We'd be very lucky if Bradley turns out anywhere near as good as Jason Terry.

This is something I don't really understand. Jason Terry is a very good player, with crunch time scoring ability and mental strength.
Same thing goes about Joe Johnson. He's well overpaid, but still, these fans underrate him too much. Perhaps because they are annoyed that we traded a really versatile forward for nothing back then.

[arambone]

Yeah, sounds like some of the early haters are still stingy with their praise of Bradley.

First he was a decent defender but nothing else.
Then he was a great defender but not even nba caliber over-all. Then he was a decent shooter and great defender but a terrible ball handler and over-all below average player.
Then he was a decent shooter and smart offensive player and great defender, but a terrible ball handler who would only be a spot up shooter the rest of his career, and should be traded for a mid-first round pick.
Then he was an excellent shooter and excellent defender but a terrible ball handler who probably has already reached his peak.
Then he was an excellent shooter, decent ball handler, great cutter, good at driving to the hoop, and a decent defender who only averaged 20 points a game as soon as he got the green light from Doc.

Now he's an excellent shooter, excellent defender, excellent cutter, smart passer, great one-on-one player, and scored 28 points against a play-off team in his first game as go-to scorer, and we'll be extremely lucky if his long-term potential eventually comes close to approximating that of Jason Terry.

 

[alajet]

Basically, we can safely say that Bradley's reputation and potential will be tested in the playoffs this season.
His ability / inability to defend the bigger SGs or do not back off when things get tough are likely test cases. I don't include clutch scoring yet, as I still have hope that Ray will be on court by that time for those situations.

I'm trying my best to avoid coming to conclusions based on singular games.
Brandon Jennings scored 55 points as a rookie, but he isn't the second coming of Jerry West. Ramon Sessions had a 20/20 game, but he isn't the next Magic Johnson.
As I said before, we have got to see Bradley's next season play. That will give a more accurate indication of his ceiling. At the moment, we can just relax and see him play positive basketball for the team in our play-off run. That's what matters the most right now.

Future? It can wait a couple of months more.

[arambone]

I think in 2 seasons, if Bradley started as scoring point guard all next year (which he won't because of Rondo), he could play as well as Chauncy Billups in his prime, with upside higher than Billups because of Bradley's smothering perimeter defense.

As a two guard, his potential is probably slightly lower, but he still has the potential to be a dominating 2way player like a poor man's (ie, undersized) Jordan.

I don't think it's unlikely that Bradley will have a  Westbrook caliber impact in 2 years, when he will be the age that Westbrook is now.

Given the events of the past two months, I'd guess that Bradley could very well have that type of over-all impact next season, if not sooner.

[arambone]

"I'm trying my best to avoid coming to conclusions based on singular games."

People were dismissing this kid as not NBA worthy after a few nervous bricks in spot minutes earlier in the year.

Were you one of them?

How many consecutive outstanding games in a row does he need to put together before you admit his upside can barely be fathomed at this point?

Now, this 21 year old has to play great in his first playoffs to show that he has any potential?

Declaring any kind of limit to this 21 year old phenom's potential comes across as myopic, and possibly bitter.

[hpantazo]

"I'm trying my best to avoid coming to conclusions based on singular games."

People were dismissing this kid as not NBA worthy after a few nervous bricks in spot minutes earlier in the year.

Were you one of them?

How many consecutive outstanding games in a row does he need to put together before you admit his upside can barely be fathomed at this point?

Now, this 21 year old has to play great in his first playoffs to show that he has any potential?

Declaring any kind of limit to this 21 year old phenom's potential comes across as myopic, and possibly bitter.

he's no "phenom" and every 21 year old has limits to their potential, stating so is not myopic or bitter

[arambone]

"he's no "phenom""

As Kevin Garnett gushed: "Avery is playing as good as any other player in this league.... high confidence right now and we're loving it, we're fueling it. We fuel everything in this locker room with confidence." Confidence is all Bradley needed. Now, he gushes it. It's still subtle, but Garnett has taken notice of it. "Man, he's playing with a free mind, playing aggressively, attacking the rim," said Garnett. "On top of other things, he's hitting 3-pointers, chest-bumping, and having his own little swag, if you will. I love it."

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4692573/believing-in-bradley
That was before he went off for 28 in the first game he wasn't just scoring on scraps.
 

[hpantazo]

"he's no "phenom""

As Kevin Garnett gushed: "Avery is playing as good as any other player in this league.... high confidence right now and we're loving it, we're fueling it. We fuel everything in this locker room with confidence." Confidence is all Bradley needed. Now, he gushes it. It's still subtle, but Garnett has taken notice of it. "Man, he's playing with a free mind, playing aggressively, attacking the rim," said Garnett. "On top of other things, he's hitting 3-pointers, chest-bumping, and having his own little swag, if you will. I love it."

 

maybe I missed it, where exactly did he call him a "phenom"?

Also, it's his teammate, and he wants to build up the kid's weak confidence, of course he's going to say good things about him. I'm glad the kid is playing well, we need it, but let's not go overboard here like the knicks did with jeremy lin.

Both players have some serious weaknesses to work on and things to prove.

[arambone]

Please tell me about Bradley's serious weaknesses. Or are you basing these "weaknesses" on the first half of the season when Bradley was getting spotty minutes with Doc breathing down his neck, no summer league, and hardly any team practices.

The weakest part of his game is his handle, and I think even that has been over exaggerated. His handle looked pretty [dang] adequate last night, now that he's getting his swagger and got his first green light from Doc to create off the dribble.

Passing? He doesn't turn it over much, and is a smart, competent passer. That's not a serious weakness, that's a slight strength that can be strengthened even more.

He's not like Jeremy Lin turning the ball over 7 times a game, while having limited athletic ability.

I think Bradley's upside is Derrick Rose, if Bradley ever got to play for a couple years at PG as a team's primary scorer.

[letsgoblue86]

Please tell me about Bradley's serious weaknesses. Or are you basing these "weaknesses" on the first half of the season when Bradley was getting spotty minutes with Doc breathing down his neck, no summer league, and hardly any team practices.

The weakest part of his game is his handle, and I think even that has been over exaggerated. His handle looked pretty [dang] adequate last night, now that he's getting his swagger and got his first green light from Doc to create off the dribble.

Passing? He doesn't turn it over much, and is a smart, competent passer. That's not a serious weakness, that's a slight strength that can be strengthened even more.

He's not like Jeremy Lin turning the ball over 7 times a game, while having limited athletic ability.

I think Bradley's upside is Derrick Rose, if Bradley ever got to play for a couple years at PG as a team's primary scorer.

I don't know if I'd go as far as "smart, competent passer" because I can recall a few times recently where he's too timid or unsure about his passes. 
For instance the other night against the Magic when he threw a soft pass to KG which was then stolen by BBD for the easy dunk.  Those are the types of passes he has trouble with...the entry pass to Paul or KG on the block.
 He just lacks balls on his passes, like he doesn't trust the pass.  But he will get better, I have faith in that.

[hpantazo]

well let's see how you feel about his lack of weaknesses after the playoffs. That's all I have to say about it for now.

[thestackshow]

Ive noticed a trend.

People dont want Celtics players to be great, and like devaluing them for some reason.

For example Avery Bradley is recently showing he has star potential, we have one side of the forums saying "yes, hes going to be great", and the other side saying "no he wont be, he is what he is and hes flawed"

Why cant we all as Celtics fans enjoy the fact that we have a young 21 year old stud with potential and all embrace him.

Knick fans see Jeremy Lin on a roll, and they claim hes incredible, Bradley has been on a roll ever since he got the starting job, and Celtics fans are quick to dismiss him. I dont get it.

Shouldnt we all be hyping him up since were all fans on this team?

Just an overall Cynical and Negative feel from some of the posters here.

[thestackshow]

well let's see how you feel about his lack of weaknesses after the playoffs. That's all I have to say about it for now.

As a Celtics fan, shouldnt you want Bradley to do well in the playoffs? You make it seem like you hope he does bad just so you can say "i told you so" to another poster. That isnt very fanlike.