Tony Bradley
Last summer, I made known my feelings that Tony Bradley should get a shot to contribute at the NBA level this season. After all, the Jazz committed a first-round pick and guaranteed money to bring him on-board and, for his part, Bradley has worked to make it happen, shedding weight, gaining muscle and working on his game.
But a quarter of the way through the 2018-19 season, Bradley has yet to appear in a game for the Jazz. So, how do we evaluate his performance? Let’s take a look at his efforts with the G-League’s Salt Lake City Stars and see what we can discern.
Over seven games with the Stars, Bradley is averaging 15.7 points, 7.1 boards and 1.4 blocks per game; one of the better lines you’ll find in the G-League. His rebounds have dipped slightly, which could be the result of former NBA big man Willie Reed joining the team. Other than that, his line is eerily similar to last season’s.
He’s defending the rim slightly better, with a block rate approaching five percent and becoming more of an offensive threat, with an effective field goal percentage that has improved eight points to 66.5. However, he’s not going to the line at all (0.9 FT attempts/game), his turnover rate is up and, again, the rebounding has dipped.
Overall, I’ll give him points for improving his body and being a positive impact player at the developmental level. Also — he was always going to be a project, and may well make hay over the next several months with more development. But, the fact that he’s yet to warrant a look at the next level isn’t nothing.
First-quarter grade: B-