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Celtics draft Avery Bradley

Print | Comments () Posted by Gary Washburn Globe Staff June 24, 2010 09:22 PM

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The Celtics used their 19th pick to take Texas point guard Avery Bradley. Not sure if this pick will be moved for lower draft picks, but the Celtics can't depend on the 6-foot-2 Bradley to become an immediate backup to Rajon Rondo.

“I love the speed,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “He has unbelievable speed. He has a good in-between game. He can make the spot-up jump shots. He’s an NBA defender right now. He can play point guard defense on anybody in the league and that’s huge for us. But he has to learn the position. He has to learn how to be a point guard. So with Rondo in front of him, he’ll be a good teacher.”

Bradley, a Tacoma, Wash., native, averaged 11.6 points and 2.1 assists in his only year at Texas.

“He could be a starter one day in this league,” Rivers said of Bradley. “It’s tough to do that when Rondo’s the starter in front of you, but he has a huge upside.”

Rivers was already familiar with Bradley. His sons Jeremiah, a senior at the University of Indiana, and Austin, a senior at Winter Park (Fla.) High School, had both seen him on the AAU circuit.

“They both like him a lot,” Rivers said.