Highlight Reel: Just in case you doubt John Wall
The only way John Wall doesn’t make dozens of All-Star games is if he suffers a career-threatening injury. And oh yeah by the way, this time last year Avery Bradley was rated ahead of Wall in recruiting rankings.
I’m desperately trying to talk myself into Bradley, I really am, but Bradley being rated ahead of Wall in high school doesn’t really help. Why not? Because right now Bradley is on an operating table somewhere while Wall is busy writing his 2029 Hall of Fame Induction speech. Well, either that or interviewing bodyguards to protect himself from Gilbert Arenas. Either way, I don’t expect any instant dividends from Bradley. As much as I try to sell myself on his potential and athleticism, there are reasons why Bradley’s production at Texas was flimsier than Shaun Livingston’s biceps.
Related posts:
Celtics Blog, Highlight Reel of the Day | Jay King | June 26, 2010
Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics, John Wall, more, Washington Wizards
Cool highlights, but they look almost identical to the ones for Avery Bradley. As for why Bradley’s numbers weren’t all that impressive in Texas, there are two words for that…Rick Barnes.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
So Rick Barnes stopped Avery Bradley from scoring last year? Please. As bad a coach as Barnes is, a whole bunch of players have put up some pretty damn good numbers for him.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Nope, I was not saying that. What I am saying is that some players don’t exactly flourish under certain coaches or team systems, like Rajon Rondo for instance. How can someone with Rondo’s massive talent put up such pedestrian numbers in college and slip all the way to the twenties? Most would say it had something to do with Tubby Smith.
I think that the most apparent reason as to why he didn’t perform as well as John Wall (whom Bradley was most compared to in high school), is because the entire Texas team was inconsistent for last year, most of which could easily be attributable to the coaching/system of Rick Barnes.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Rondo’s a really good example of someone who was held back by a college system. But Rondo was at least known as a PG. I don’t know yet if Bradley can play PG, and he won’t fit alongside Rondo.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I pretty much agree with JD’s assessment below. I think that Bradley is a very talented combo guard and not a true point, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a very productive player for the celtics. I think he will be able to contribute quicker than people think because super quick guards are practically unguardable in todays nba.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
If Doc’s still the coach, he hardly ever lets rookies play. The last time they had a super-fast rookie, it was Rondo and he backed up Sebastian Telfair on a 24-win team.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
All of that is definitely true, however, I think Bradley will get minutes because I don’t think they are going to have a lot of depth on the bench due to salary cap restraints. Right now your only other option as a backup guard is Oliver Lafayette. I’m pretty sure Bradley is better than he is.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Any time you justify playing time with “Well, he IS better than the player who just got pulled up from the D-League,” it’s probably not a great sign.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I think Bradley will be kinda like Nate Robinson, in that he will not be a true point guard but he will surprise us sometimes with good floor vision and nice passes to the open man
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Jay King says:
June 27, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Any time you justify playing time with “Well, he IS better than the player who just got pulled up from the D-League,” it’s probably not a great sign.
Sure is, though it’s less of a reflection on Bradley than it is on the state of flux that the Celtics roster is in.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Yeah, the C’s are going to need a hell of a summer. It almost reminds me of the summer before 2007-2008 though. We knew the Big Three was going to play, but nobody had any idea how the C’s would fill out the rest of the roster. Except, you know, now we don’t know if the Big Three is coming back either.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hey Jay,
There’s a compelling discussion going on over at basketball reference regarding the NBA Finals that you may or may not be interested in.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=6761
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thank you. Checking it out now.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0