Did Celtics Find Ray Allen's Replacement?

Did Celtics Find Ray Allen's Replacement?

With the 19^th  pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics select……..Avery Bradley, shooting guard from the University of Texas.

And so it begins.  The rebuilding or, depending on how you look at it, reloading of the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics.

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Never has a team come off of such a successful playoff run with so many questions.  Ray Allen and Nate Robinson are free agents.  Rasheed Wallace will soon announce his retirement.  And Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are aging by the minute.  And we haven’t even mentioned what has already happened and what could happen to the C’s coaching staff.

So Danny Ainge’s first move was last night’s NBA draft and he used it to possibly add a replacement for Ray Allen.  Does this mean that Allen is definitely  not returning to the Celts?  Not necessarily.  But Bradley is very similar to the former UConn star minus a few inches.

Avery Bradley was considered by many to be the nation’s top recruit when Rick Barnes persuaded him to come to Austin a year ago.  However, some would call him a disappointment given his inconsistent play his freshman year this past season.

On the plus side, he is an outstanding perimeter shooter with one of the best pure jump shots in the game.  He shoots off the dribble as well as anyone in the college game today.  He has a high release and gets good elevation.  He also has a long wingspan and is a very strong defender.

On the down side, he’s 6’-3” which is small by NBA shooting guard standards.  Ray Allen is 6’5”.  That lack of height may make him easier to shut down at the NBA level.  He also lacks the skills as a great distributor of the basketball and tends to focus on looking for his own shot.  He may need to develop his dribble penetration as he would prefer to simply look for his outside jumper.

It is doubtful that Bradley will be ready to be a big time contributor right away for the Celtics.  After all, at age 20, he should be entering his sophomore year in college this fall.

But Danny Ainge has done a pretty good job in the draft as Celtics GM.  Rajon Rondo was clearly his best pick.  But Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Leon Powe, Delonte West, Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins have also all turned out to be solid NBA players.

But let’s not kid ourselves.  If Boston is going to try to defend its Eastern Conference title, they will need a lot more than a solid contribution from a 20-year old rookie shooting guard taken with the 19^th  pick in the first round.