Bradley is a future star

[arambone]

Bradley also had the great fortune of learning from Ray Allen for two years at the most formative time of his career.

Bradley learned all about consistency, meticulous practice, and the other mental aspects of being a good shooter.

I wouldn't bet against him, but some of us said that the past two years as well with limited success.

[gar]

Hope you are right about Bradley. His stuff of D Wade made him a star in my book. I just think you need a better sample size. Allen may have had a lot to do with his turn around. Hoping JET can keep him flying at that same level.

[Evantime34]

I think he is a future star as well. Bradley has elite athleticism and combines it with elite effort on the court. If how hard he plays on the court is any indication of the work he puts in off the court, his drive will allow him to be great.

[kozlodoev]

First off, Al Jefferson has played center for the majority of his NBA career, but that's beside the point. I wholeheartedly disagree with the Jefferson-Anderson comparison, but once again you've made a hefty extrapolation to prove your point. The first one being that comparing Bradley to Allen is the same as Bradley to Garnett.

If I laid out four players for you, one a beefy, strong, C/PF; one a lanky, 3pt-shooting SF/PF; one a slightly undersized defensive combo guard; and one an average-sized, muscular, defensive 2-guard, which two would you say are more similar? The last two, and it has nothing to do with their positions or their size. Their play styles are similar. Nightmarish defense first, with a little bit of offense thrown in.

Once again, you use "defensive" as if it's some sort of uniform concept. It isn't. Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace, for example, are both fine defensive players and approximately the same height, but their game (or body type, for that matter) is not similar at all. In the same way in which Al Jefferson's offensive ability is nothing like Ryan Anderson's. Or Avery Bradley is nothing like Tony Allen.

You may be disagreeing wholeheartedly with my comparison, but you also seem to be completely missing its point.

[dtrader]

I agree that his limited playing time does make it hard to say whats a "streak", whats his "norm", and whats his ceiling.  I think the jury is (or at least should) still be out on AB.  Hes shown flashes of greatness, and also periods of horrible play. 

Whst I always get stuck on with him, is his size, and skillset.  The fact is he doesnt have the ball handling or passing ability to be a successful pg at this level.  That experiment failed.  When he was given Rays minutes at SG, he seemed to flourish (offensively).  However, if you give him starter minutes at SG, the other team will have size advantages.

AB has shown himself to be an elite defender OF POINT GUARDS.  Against SGs though, he's decent at best.  Yes, his athleticism will lead to some highlights like the Wade block, but there are many more instances (like when he got matched up against gerald henderson, gordan Hayward, and Joe Johnson to name a few), where the opposing SG simply is too big/strong for him to handle.

So we have a shooting guard who is elite at guarding point guards...but, if we put him on their PG, then our PG has to match up against the other teams SG =/  IMO any team with 2 strong players in the backcourt (Knicks, Nets, Sixers) can all cause us problems. 

If ABs shot really is as strong as it was at his best last season, then I can see him having a very bright future.  I'm just not sure if thats going to happen, and if it doesnt his size will always be a disadvantage.

[MJohnnyboy]

I agree that his limited playing time does make it hard to say whats a "streak", whats his "norm", and whats his ceiling.  I think the jury is (or at least should) still be out on AB.  Hes shown flashes of greatness, and also periods of horrible play. 

Whst I always get stuck on with him, is his size, and skillset.  The fact is he doesnt have the ball handling or passing ability to be a successful pg at this level.  That experiment failed.  When he was given Rays minutes at SG, he seemed to flourish (offensively).  However, if you give him starter minutes at SG, the other team will have size advantages.

AB has shown himself to be an elite defender OF POINT GUARDS.  Against SGs though, he's decent at best.  Yes, his athleticism will lead to some highlights like the Wade block, but there are many more instances (like when he got matched up against gerald henderson, gordan Hayward, and Joe Johnson to name a few), where the opposing SG simply is too big/strong for him to handle.

So we have a shooting guard who is elite at guarding point guards...but, if we put him on their PG, then our PG has to match up against the other teams SG =/  IMO any team with 2 strong players in the backcourt (Knicks, Nets, Sixers) can all cause us problems. 

If ABs shot really is as strong as it was at his best last season, then I can see him having a very bright future.  I'm just not sure if thats going to happen, and if it doesnt his size will always be a disadvantage.

"Helllooooooooooooo Courtney Lee!"

I actually agree with this assessment. Bradley is more equipped to cover tweener guards, which is quite convenient because the league is FILLED with them. Wade, Westbrook, Paul, Rose, Irving, Teague (not as good as the others but incredibly quick).

I do disagree about the whole "he can't cover bigger 2 guards" though. He can't shut down guys like Kobe or JJ like he can against Wade or Westbrook, but he can still hold up pretty well against them. Look at JJ's FG% in the Hawks-Celtics series. .373 overall, and .250 from three! You think Bradley didn't have something to do with that?

Bradley has a bright future. A star may be pushing it, but his D will make his value quite high.

[LooseCannon]

AB has shown himself to be an elite defender OF POINT GUARDS.  Against SGs though, he's decent at best. 

I don't believe this statement.  I'm not a big fan of PER as a state, but 82games has Bradley keeping opposing SGs to a significantly lower PER vs opposing PGs.  I don't think you can argue that Bradley is anything worse than decent as a defender of opposing SGs, and even that is a stretch.

I think that some posters here are placing an inaccurate ceiling on Bradley's defensive value against other shooting guards based solely on his height/size.  I'd like to see people who argue that Bradley is limited on defense to cite some numbers that aren't height/weight.

Overall, I think it is better for Bradley to work on trying to become a 38-40% 3pt shooter who can hit shots from more places than just the corner rather than for him to work on ball-handling and point guard skills.  I think it is a legitimate possibility for him to be a guy who is NBA All-Defensive first or second team as a shooting guard while hitting 40% of threes and taking at least a couple of threes per game.  I think his ceiling is having that level of three-and-D value plus some other above-average skills.  Would that possibility be a star level of production?

[Galeto]

A star? Unlikely because his ballhandling isn't good enough and that has implications on his ability to create all types of shots for himself and his teammates.  Even at his young age, it's late for his ballhandling to improve.  He's been playing basketball for a long time and dribbled the ball for many many many hours already in his life.  He's been around top notch instruction and players who can challenge him and make him improve.  Despite all that, his handle is still not very good for the NBA level.  I can't remember many players whose handle improved a full grade or so after entering the NBA.  It's hardly improved at all in his two seasons and I write hardly because I hope it's improved, it had to improve, but I can't detect any improvement from his time at Texas. 

[mmmmm]

  I recall reading draft profiles about him saying that he was one of the best shooters in his draft class. I don't think that it's a stretch to think that he'll be a decent shooter going forward.

I recall the description being that he had a good mid-range jumper. I think it was said that Bradley was just killing it when they practiced and he had good form of his jumper, so Doc was publicly wondering why more shots weren't going in.

Bradley's shooting percentage was getting better.  Perhaps he is a guy who shoots better when he gets more minutes and would be better playing 30+ minutes as a starter rather than 20-25 minutes off the bench.

I think thats a factor.  Bradley was a very good shooter in H.S. and also in the D-League when he went there his rookie year and got extended minutes.  In his one year college, he was 'decent' from 3PT land but overall was really misused because he was restricted to taking nothing but outside shots in that Texas offense (a huge percentage of his shots were 3PT shots) whereas  at other levels (HS, D-League and this recent run of extended NBA minutes) we see that he also thrives when working on the run or on back-door cuts.

Based on how he's shot at other levels, I don't expect him to shoot 50% from 3PT land like he did this last season.  But I would be surprised if he didn't shoot somewhere north of at least 35% for his career from beyond the arc.  If I were to predict a number for his long-term career average, I'd guess he ends up somewhere right around 38%.  I also expect him to be a solid FT shooter.   With his speed, with experience and an improved handle, there is no way he shouldn't be able to get to the line several times a game. 

WAAY too soon to be sure he'll be a "star".  But he was a (nationally ranked) star in H.S. and he absolutely dominated the D-League.  And he sure did a fine imitation of a star last season.   Its not totally unreasonable to think he might end up a star in the NBA.

I'm just hoping he gets healthy and stays healthy so we can watch his career play out.

[mctyson]

It will be interesting to watch.  He is going to have to get much better offensively to be anything more than a quality role player who can take advantage of defenses ignorning him.

I don't get this.  Bradley did everything he could to prove to us last year that his offense is ++ better than we thought it was.  He is a perfect, natural fit with Rondo, so much so that Rondo asked him to start in place of the greatest 3-pt shooter in NBA history.

Is he going to create for himself much with the ball?  No, but we don't need him to with Rondo and Pierce.  He just needs to cut like hell, find nooks and crannies, hit open corner threes, and run the break.

[rayallen1934]

  I recall reading draft profiles about him saying that he was one of the best shooters in his draft class. I don't think that it's a stretch to think that he'll be a decent shooter going forward.

I recall the description being that he had a good mid-range jumper. I think it was said that Bradley was just killing it when they practiced and he had good form of his jumper, so Doc was publicly wondering why more shots weren't going in.

Bradley's shooting percentage was getting better.  Perhaps he is a guy who shoots better when he gets more minutes and would be better playing 30+ minutes as a starter rather than 20-25 minutes off the bench.

I think thats a factor.  Bradley was a very good shooter in H.S. and also in the D-League when he went there his rookie year and got extended minutes.  In his one year college, he was 'decent' from 3PT land but overall was really misused because he was restricted to taking nothing but outside shots in that Texas offense (a huge percentage of his shots were 3PT shots) whereas  at other levels (HS, D-League and this recent run of extended NBA minutes) we see that he also thrives when working on the run or on back-door cuts.

Based on how he's shot at other levels, I don't expect him to shoot 50% from 3PT land like he did this last season.  But I would be surprised if he didn't shoot somewhere north of at least 35% for his career from beyond the arc.  If I were to predict a number for his long-term career average, I'd guess he ends up somewhere right around 38%.  I also expect him to be a solid FT shooter.   With his speed, with experience and an improved handle, there is no way he shouldn't be able to get to the line several times a game. 

WAAY too soon to be sure he'll be a "star".  But he was a (nationally ranked) star in H.S. and he absolutely dominated the D-League.  And he sure did a fine imitation of a star last season.   Its not totally unreasonable to think he might end up a star in the NBA.

I'm just hoping he gets healthy and stays healthy so we can watch his career play out.

No he didn't. He was solid player. Not even close to a start. Retract back.

[rayallen1934]

It will be interesting to watch.  He is going to have to get much better offensively to be anything more than a quality role player who can take advantage of defenses ignorning him.

I don't get this.  Bradley did everything he could to prove to us last year that his offense is ++ better than we thought it was.  He is a perfect, natural fit with Rondo, so much so that Rondo asked him to start in place of the greatest 3-pt shooter in NBA history.

Is he going to create for himself much with the ball?  No, but we don't need him to with Rondo and Pierce.  He just needs to cut like hell, find nooks and crannies, hit open corner threes, and run the break.

Did you watch last year? Nobody gave a [dang] about Bradley on Offense, he was free to roam , cut with defenders turned back, his three pointers were almost always open!

Am I taking anything away from him? NO

He hit those shots, he made those great cuts,

but can he do it now being defended? It remains to be seen.

Although the one thing I like about Bradley is that IMO, he has the 2nd or 3rd best shooting form on the team now, actually hes 2nd now that Ray is gone.

[Galeto]

It will be interesting to watch.  He is going to have to get much better offensively to be anything more than a quality role player who can take advantage of defenses ignorning him.

I don't get this.  Bradley did everything he could to prove to us last year that his offense is ++ better than we thought it was.  He is a perfect, natural fit with Rondo, so much so that Rondo asked him to start in place of the greatest 3-pt shooter in NBA history.

Is he going to create for himself much with the ball?  No, but we don't need him to with Rondo and Pierce.  He just needs to cut like hell, find nooks and crannies, hit open corner threes, and run the break.

Did you watch last year? Nobody gave a [dang] about Bradley on Offense, he was free to roam , cut with defenders turned back, his three pointers were almost always open!

Am I taking anything away from him? NO

He hit those shots, he made those great cuts,

but can he do it now being defended? It remains to be seen.

Although the one thing I like about Bradley is that IMO, he has the 2nd or 3rd best shooting form on the team now, actually hes 2nd now that Ray is gone.

You still care about the Celtics.  Ray Allen's not on the team anymore.  Aren't you a Heat fan now?  I'm floored that you're still following and not commenting about Ray or about Pierce turning the ball over for dunks even though he's still one of your favorite doughnut eating, wheelchair dramatizing, dunk giving players.

[rayallen1934]

It will be interesting to watch.  He is going to have to get much better offensively to be anything more than a quality role player who can take advantage of defenses ignorning him.

I don't get this.  Bradley did everything he could to prove to us last year that his offense is ++ better than we thought it was.  He is a perfect, natural fit with Rondo, so much so that Rondo asked him to start in place of the greatest 3-pt shooter in NBA history.

Is he going to create for himself much with the ball?  No, but we don't need him to with Rondo and Pierce.  He just needs to cut like hell, find nooks and crannies, hit open corner threes, and run the break.

Did you watch last year? Nobody gave a [dang] about Bradley on Offense, he was free to roam , cut with defenders turned back, his three pointers were almost always open!

Am I taking anything away from him? NO

He hit those shots, he made those great cuts,

but can he do it now being defended? It remains to be seen.

Although the one thing I like about Bradley is that IMO, he has the 2nd or 3rd best shooting form on the team now, actually hes 2nd now that Ray is gone.

You still care about the Celtics.  Ray Allen's not on the team anymore.  Aren't you a Heat fan now?  I'm floored that you're still following and not commenting about Ray or about Pierce turning the ball over for dunks even though he's still one of your favorite doughnut eating, wheelchair dramatizing, dunk giving players.

You sound mad though. Im just stating the facts, not lies.

[Galeto]

If Bradley gets his starting job back, he'd still be the fifth option on the floor.  If teams or his man wants to concentrate on him, all power to them.  The Celtics will gladly take defensive attention on their fifth option.

I understand it's more nuanced than that but Bradley wasn't effective just because defenses didn't pay attention to him.  He was effective because he has outstanding speed that is hard to check.  It's somewhat similar to how teams knew what Ray did all those years but because he was fast, quick and precise, he still got open despite a lot of defensive attention.  Teams can know what you do but if you have physical advantages and sense for timing, it's not going to matter. 

Teams know that Bass is very good at mid-range jumpers yet he gets them all the time because he's the fourth option.  Bradley will face more difficulty unless he improves after Pierce and Garnett move on but until then, he should be effective offensively if he can shoot well.