Celtics Select Guard, Avery Bradley, with 19th Pick


Despite Ainge apparently being dissatisfied with the options at no. 19, he stayed there and picked up some back court help by selecting 19 year old Texas Guard, Avery Bradley.

The guard is billed as a great defender. He ranked second on Texas last year in steals (44) and recorded 18 blocks.

At Texas, he also ranked second in points per game with 11.6.

However, Bradley was only 37% from the three point line last year. So, he doesn't provide a solid replacement for Ray Allen - if he leaves.

However, he can also serve as a venerable back up Point Guard to Rondo.

The C's still have a need for a big and will likely look to free-agency or trade to fill the void.

Here's ESPNBoston's profile of Bradley:
Positives: Explosive scorer ... Very quick ... Long arms ... Wiry strong ... Big-time vertical leap ... Terrific first step ... Good midrange shooter ... Lockdown defender

Negative: Undersized for his position ... Lacks NBA 3-point range on his jumper

Ford's analysis: It's that time of year, when players doing multiple workouts a week start getting injured. Bradley sprained his left ankle in a workout in Oklahoma City [earlier this month], according to his agent, Mitch Butler. Bradley was doing a 3-on-3 drill when he was going up for an offensive rebound and stepped on a player's foot coming down. X-rays and an MRI given by the Thunder were negative. While the sprain is considered mild to a soft medium, the injury was bad enough that Bradley has ended his workouts. Butler said he believes the ankle will be healed in time for the NBA's summer league.

Forsberg's take: His numbers as a freshman at Texas don't wow you and he's seemingly undersized for a 2-guard, but there's a lot to like about Bradley's game. You can't help but wonder if tweaking an ankle last month might scare off some teams, particularly those that didn't get him in for a private workout, which would give the Celtics a shot at him on Thursday night. The concern here is a lack of a 3-point shot -- something Boston would presumably covet in the event that Ray Allen does not return. But Bradley also has the ability to play the 1, something that might solve Boston's lack of a backup point guard, making him an intriguing option as a utility guard off the bench.