Breaking Down the Bench... Avery Bradley

Another new acquisition for the C's, Avery Bradley may very well be running this offense alongside Rajon Rondo in the future once the Big Three have called it quits. The first round pick out of Texas is quick, explosive, great on defense, and a valuable threat as a sharp shooter off the bench, replacing Tony Allen's less than stellar jump shot, while not sacrificing the athleticism and lock down defense he provided. Bradley is extremely talented, and has the potential to be a future star in the NBA, and is a perfect fit for Boston's bench.

Whether he is playing the two spot alongside Rondo or Nate Robinson, I can't wait to see the fast-breaks. As long as Bradley does not get too nervous about throwing it down against NBA big men, the alley-oops Rondo will set him up with will likely be regularly occurring on Sportscenter. His ability to get to the hoop is reminiscent of D-Wade's, and his commanding dunks could easily land him a spot in the dunk contest. With Nate and him, and the rest of the second unit playing as well as they are capable of, I can see the Celtics' bench putting up large amounts of points on other backup units, and even on some starters around the NBA. The best part is, most scouts wouldn't tell you that his dunks are his biggest asset. They'd tell you that his shot and his defense are.

Like Ray Allen, Bradley is known for his perfect form on jump shots, and will help stretch out defenses with both his three pointers and his ability to explode past defenders. While his scoring was somewhat inconsistent in his freshman year at college, I think no other coach and organization would be better suited for tapping into this kid's potential. Doc Rivers has a very good track record when it comes to getting his point and shooting guards to contribute to the best of their ability, and I believe Bradley will be contributing on offense for the C's much sooner than most people may think. It will also be extremely helpful for him to be surrounded by all the current and former veteran all-stars on this team who will be able to help him improve his play. Even if it does take him some time in the NBA before his offense is fully developed, his impressive defense makes him a player that the Celtics would much rather have than be having to play against.

He can read defenses and use his long arms to get steals like Rondo's, and can get up and block shots like Rudy Gay. The Celtics need to have a capable defender on their bench in order to win games, and this makes Avery Bradley a great pickup for them. Assuming he'll be on the court at the same time as Big Baby and Shaq, opposing teams will likely be passing the ball around a lot and trying to score from outside the paint, which will give the energetic guard many opportunities to steal the ball. Also, they may bring him in to shut down certain players as they did with Tony Allen, where his athleticism will be key to his success. I'm not saying we will see Avery Bradley the rookie coming in and shutting down guys like Wade and Kobe... but we may see it from Avery Bradley the sophomore. As an athletic player with the ability to drive and dunk, make three pointers, and provide some critical lock down defense, Avery Bradley is a great fit for this Celtics' team.

Tomorrow... Doc's little project, and why opposing teams have only seen the tip of the iceberg.