Utah Jazz ’17-18 review: Tony Bradley’s seesaw first year

Utah Jazz rookie Tony Bradley may have only appeared in nine regular season games and just one playoff game with the Jazz, but he showed some promise throughout the year playing for Utah’s G-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.

You have to give Tony Bradley credit. It’s got to be tough to sit on the bench and watch for most of the season, especially for a 20-year-old rookie. He undoubtedly wants to be out there on the court making an impact, but he has handled everything maturely and understands that he is a project for this Utah Jazz team.

“I guess expectations were to play, maybe. Then again, it was just to improve.” Bradley said in his End of Season Interview. “Dennis (Lindsey) pretty much told me that I’m a project, and from there I was going to get a lot of minutes with the Stars.”

Bradley took advantage of the opportunity and playing time with the Salt Lake City Stars. He averaged 15.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for the Stars in just under 30 minutes per game. Those are impressive numbers.

With the Jazz, Bradley averaged 0.9 points and 1.2 rebounds in just 3.2 minutes per game. He never got meaningful playing time with the big club, but looked more and more comfortable with the Stars throughout the year.

The Stars were 4-25 at one point during the season, but adding guys like Bradley and two-way players Erik McCree and Georges Niang, the Stars found some success at points during the season. They finished the year 16-34.

Being assigned/recalled to and from the G-League a total of 34 times has got to be frustrating, but there is no doubt that Bradley is a better player today than he was when he entered training camp with the Jazz. The G-League helped him tremendously as a first-year player, and he will look to earn more minutes with the Jazz next season.

When talking about his development throughout the season, Bradley pointed out his screening ability, overall defensive improvement and floater as areas where he has improved the most.

That floater/push shot is something the Jazz want their bigs to develop and turn into a reliable weapon during a game. You see a guy like Derrick Favors use it quite often and he’s mastered it. Even Ekpe Udoh and Rudy Gobert have shown it at times this season.

That shot has become a weapon for Bradley. Watching him in the G-League, he rolls off screens very well and has that soft touch floater. He has shown promise as a mid-range shooter, and also shoots free throws at an 81 percent clip, which is very good compared to other centers in the NBA.

He doesn’t have the flashiest game in the world, but he gets the job done. Bradley will be a guy to watch during Summer League, and could have some momentum heading into his second training camp.

Next: Utah Jazz ’17-18 review: Rudy Gobert dominates with D

In conclusion, Bradley developed at a good rate this year with the Stars. I’m sure Jazz fans would like to see what he can do with the Jazz, and I’m sure that will come in time. Right now he’s a project, and I think the Jazz have to be happy with his development in year one.