Will Phil Pressey make an impact?

[Tr1boy]

1. With the rumors Rondo will be out approx until NOV/DEC
2. AB, Crawford, Brooks then have the chance to play the majority of the pg min

3. But the team at several instances or stretches will struggle without a true pg like it did last year.

How will Pressey fit into the puzzle without Rondo? Can he secure at least the backup pg role even with Rondo back??

I really like this kid myself. Though small in size, he is quick/athletic, has "natural" pg mentality, dribbling and shooting skills and plays tenacious defense.  The ingredients are there to be a nba calibre pg and just needs help/time to bring it all together.  At best we could be looking at a Nate Robinson/Jameer Nelson hybrid?

Anybody else think he will evenutally play majority of the pg min while Rondo is out??

Who does Pressey remind you of?? 

[D.o.s.]

I think the bulk of the point guard minutes will go to Crawford, Bradley, and Lee. No way Marshon plays the point in my mind--he seems most comfortable and effective as an off ball wing.


I have high hopes for Pressey, and I think he can round into a solid backup, but I don't see him getting a whole lot of playing time while the games are still competitive. There's a reason he went undrafted, after all.

He'll certainly be someone to watch in garbage time, though.

[fantankerous]

He'll make an impact...on our loss column.

[Yogi]

Love Phil Pressey.  I think he's a good talent.  It doesn't really matter if he was drafted or not.

Strengths:
- He has NBA quickness
- He has NBA skills (passing, handles, vision)
- He has NBA athleticism
- He has good character
- He has a great motor
- He has very good IQ
- He has excellent confidence
- Been around the NBA his whole life

Weakness:
- He is very small.  Only 5'11 with a 6'2 wingspan.
- Took a step back his junior year when his team lost talent. 

[ManUp]

Love Phil Pressey.  I think he's a good talent.  It doesn't really matter if he was drafted or not.

Strengths:
- He has NBA quickness
- He has NBA skills (passing, handles, vision)
- He has NBA athleticism
- He has good character
- He has a great motor
- He has very good IQ
- He has excellent confidence
- Been around the NBA his whole life

Weakness:
- He is very small.  Only 5'11 with a 6'2 wingspan.
- Took a step back his junior year when his team lost talent.

If he was as good as you make him out to be he wouldn't have went undrafted in a super weak draft. His questionable decision making and inconsistency is why he wasn't drafted. He was picked up because he's shown flashes of special play.

[Boris Badenov]

I personally liked the way he played defense this summer.

The issue to me is that Stevens apparently places a high premium on offensive efficiency.

I'm not sure Pressey's history of sometimes inefficient and turnover-prone play fits that mold.

Lee might be a safer bet to get the bulk of PG minutes. Lee is also a better pairing size-wise if Bradley is getting substantial minutes at SG.

[Yogi]

If he was as good as you make him out to be he wouldn't have went undrafted in a super weak draft. His questionable decision making and inconsistency is why he wasn't drafted. He was picked up because he's shown flashes of special play.

I am not "making him out to be good."  I am just stating facts. 

He is quickness and athleticism are easily verified

33 in no step vertical
38.5 in max vertical
10.86 s lane agility
3.13 s sprint
7 bench press

He was statistically one of the best passers in the NCAA his whole college career.

He is the son of an NBA player/coach who has been around the NBA his whole life.

His character, motor, IQ, confidence etc. have been in display his whole career.  I don't know of any red flags in these areas.  Do you?

He lead one of the top offenses in the country his sophomore year with a talented team.  When his team lost talent, he tried to become "the guy," which was not his strength.  I personally wouldn't call his decision making questionable or inconsistent.  I would argue that he was forced to play a role not suited to his strengths.  He was neither erratic nor inconsistent during summer league. 

[D.o.s.]

Like ManUp said, there's a reason he wasn't drafted in what was by every account a tremendously weak draft class.

Regardless of what that reason was, I think there's some merit to adjusting our expectations accordingly.

Edit: Just found this:

For 60 selections, he waited for his phone to ring, and even when last month's NBA draft ended, Phil Pressey was certain that call would come.

Pressey knew there was a very real chance he wouldn't be picked when he elected to forgo his senior season at Missouri in April to enter the draft. But given his connection to the Boston Celtics' franchise and a strong pre-draft workout in Boston in late May, he remained confident he'd have at least one opportunity to earn an NBA job.

Sure enough, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge phoned moments after the draft with an invite to join Boston's summer league squad in Orlando.

Phil Pressey's connection with the Celtics goes back to when his dad, Paul, coached with Doc Rivers.
"I talked to Danny Ainge [after the draft], who said they were really into bigs in this draft, and they couldn't get another pick," Pressey said. Boston traded up to the 13th pick to select 7-foot forward Kelly Olynyk, then bought a second-round pick to land 7-footer Colton Iverson.

Generously listed at 5-foot-11, Pressey is a high-energy playmaker who compensates for his lack of size with defensive tenacity. His father, Paul, served on Doc Rivers' staff from 2004-07 and Pressey spent his early high school years in the Boston area when the family lived in Waltham, Mass.

"Right when I got the job, I sent a text message out that night, and [Pressey] called me within a minute after I sent him a text," new Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

"I like Phil. There are some things that Phil can certainly get better at. He will; he will work hard to do it."

Let's start with the positives: Pressey is a pass-first guard whose speed helps create cracks in the opposing defense and allows him to get out front in transition. He's also supremely confident in his abilities, as his bold decision to leave Missouri showed.

Pressey felt he had an excellent workout in Boston against some other top guard prospects (including Miami's Shane Larkin, who went 18th in the draft, and Baylor's Pierre Jackson, who went 42nd). His relationship with Ainge dates back to the days he'd visit the HealthPoint gymnasium with his father, and Pressey confidently boasts now, "Danny Ainge loves the way I play. He just wants me to go out there and do what I did in college."

"He's shown me what I saw [during his pre-draft visit] and I really liked his workout," Larranaga said. "He competes, he's athletic, he defends, he creates for his teammates, he can make shots. Those young guys, you have to become more consistent in all that, you have to stay disciplined and learn NBA defensive rules and flow of the NBA game. But I think he's playing really well.

"Phil's going to compete, there's no question about that. I think he has the size and speed and toughness to compete with a lot of the guards in the NBA. But that is a question that people will have -- if he can show it on a daily basis. He plays with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, and it's fun to watch."

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/9461782/phil-pressey-confident-land-spot-boston-celtics

Obviously, it's no longer July and he's still with the team.

[D.o.s.]

And another article from this morning:

"Every day I’m working to get better," he said Friday while joining some of his teammates for a youth basketball clinic in Dorchester. "One of the things I’ve been trying to work on is being consistent every single day. In college you can have some days off, and not play your best, but every day [in the NBA] you have to bring your A game. That’s one of things I’ve been working on, and coach [Brad] Stevens has been on me nonstop -- that’s helped me out, too."

Pressey noted how Stevens has already sat with him to break down tape, likely stressing the changes he'll see at the NBA level (both sides are learning that on the fly). But his lessons are not just from Professor Stevens. Last week, Rondo spent time rehabbing at Boston's training facility and offered to work with Pressey on the floor. Rondo, who has often taken time after practice in recent seasons to observer younger players and offer his advice, did the same with Pressey. As the rookie noted, "He was in my ear, telling me what I need to do. And every little thing I was doing wrong, he kinda corrected it."

Before June's pickapalooza, ESPN draft guru Chad Ford told the Kansas City Star, "Phil Pressey is one of the most frustrating players to scout for NBA scouts and for myself because when you want to talk about a floor general, a guy that can see the floor, he’s as talented as any point guard in this draft. He is a special passer who really, I think, can run a team. The problem is he doesn’t always see himself that way. And you saw at Missouri, over and over again, as games would get tight, he would start to try to play hero ball, try to do too much, and then commit mind-boggling turnovers and take horrible jump shots and almost single-handedly lose games for Missouri after playing so well for the first 35 minutes. And so, is Phil Pressey the guy that you see in the first 35 minutes of a Missouri game, or is he the guy you see in the last 5 minutes?"

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4706835/countdown-to-camp-pressey-play

[slamtheking]

I don't have any hopes for this season but maybe he can turn out to be a decent backup PG for next year.

[Galeto]

I personally liked the way he played defense this summer.

The issue to me is that Stevens apparently places a high premium on offensive efficiency.

I'm not sure Pressey's history of sometimes inefficient and turnover-prone play fits that mold.

Lee might be a safer bet to get the bulk of PG minutes. Lee is also a better pairing size-wise if Bradley is getting substantial minutes at SG.

No team can get away with starting Lee, Bradley and Green on the perimeter due to the severe lack of playmaking and ballhandling.  I have zero hours for Pressley but I'd rather go with him or Crawford over Lee.

[PhoSita]

One way or another, he'll make an impact.  If he isn't the starting point guard for the first few weeks of the season, he'll at least be playing 15-20 minutes a night.  Avery might start at PG, but he can't play there 30+ minutes a night.

God, I hope Jordan Crawford doesn't get heavy minutes.  Not because I care about the fact that he'll make the team even more likely to lose games, but rather because I really don't want to have to watch that guy play basketball any more than absolutely necessary.

[green147]

He'll make in impact out of need. The Celts have made backup pgs and centers look good, because we haven't had any decent backups recently. Guys like Carlos Arroyo, Marbury, Wilcox, Kristic, Greg Steimsma and even Semih Erden look good. Not one of those guys did anything substantial after they left. If Terrance Williams looked good as a backup point, Pressey will too.

[D.o.s.]

He'll make in impact out of need. The Celts have made backup pgs and centers look good, because we haven't had any decent backups recently. Guys like Carlos Arroyo, Marbury, Wilcox, Kristic, Greg Steimsma and even Semih Erden look good. Not one of those guys did anything substantial after they left. If Terrance Williams looked good as a backup point, Pressey will too.

Not so much while he was in green, but Starbury was an above average basketball player.

[Boris Badenov]

I personally liked the way he played defense this summer.

The issue to me is that Stevens apparently places a high premium on offensive efficiency.

I'm not sure Pressey's history of sometimes inefficient and turnover-prone play fits that mold.

Lee might be a safer bet to get the bulk of PG minutes. Lee is also a better pairing size-wise if Bradley is getting substantial minutes at SG.

No team can get away with starting Lee, Bradley and Green on the perimeter due to the severe lack of playmaking and ballhandling.  I have zero hours for Pressley but I'd rather go with him or Crawford over Lee.

I see your points about Lee, but Pressey is an unproven rookie with turnover issues, and Crawford has his own flaws. And at least with Lee starting we will have one above-average three point shooter on the floor.

I don't think there's a good option, honestly. Every pairing has some major drawbacks.

Perhaps Stevens can coax a little more out of Green in terms of playmaking - he was used more as an offensive facilitator at G-town.