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Avery Bradley has established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and has developed a pretty consistant jump shot which, I might add, would have greatly helped the Celtics against the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals. With the Celtics struggling against the talented Heat in that series, the value of Avery Bradley was made all the more apparent with him not able to suit up and play. And now we have the news that Bradley is having shoulder surgery – again – and he will likely miss the start of the 2012-2013 season. And with Ray Allen taking his talents to South Beach, there are questions about whether the Bradley-less Celtics will struggle a little at the beginning of the season.
Thankfully, Danny Ainge was smart enough to pickup a free agent shooting guard in former Sixth Man of the Year and NBA champion, Jason Terry. He will more than likely start at shooting guard at the beginning of the season, and will likely be backed up by guys like Keyon Dooling or Mickael Pietrus. So with Bradley out, there will be a great deal of pressure on Terry to step in and produce. I think he will. And, at some point, Bradley will return and Terry will return to the bend – and at that point I xpect Terry to become the James Harden of the Boston Celtics.
Overall, I don’t think Celtics fans should be too worried about the loss of Bradley. We have a solid replacement in Jason Terry, there’s always the chance that Ainge will land a Courtney Lee, and the Celtics will continue to focus on dethroning the Miami Heat. Oh, and Ray Allen? I hope Ray enjoys wearing a villain’s hat, because he’s pulled a Johnny Damon and a Benedict Arnold, at in making one decision.
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But, until Bradley returns, Terry at 35 can’t play 48 minutes per night, right?
Well, no, but he will play most of the minutes. Even though he is almost 35, he can stilll play a lot of minutes. Pierce plays alot and they are the same age. Jason Terry can play 48 minutes, he won’t, but there is a reason the Celtics are interested in 24 year old OJ Mayo and young Courtney Lee. And there is a reason we have guys named Mickael Pietrus, Keyon Dooling, etc. Though he is 35, it doesn’t matter. He will do what he can do. He obviously won’t play all 48 minutes unless needed. But key backup guys for the Celtics will pick up his back.