When second-round pick E’Twaun Moore arrived in Boston this season after four years at Purdue - having played in scores of big games and flourished in big moments - the pressure on Bradley to improve increased exponentially.
Bradley is a work in progress, but the Celtics appear invested in him and committed to his future. That is fortunate for him, because not all high draft picks get a large window of opportunity for development.
Former Kansas guard Xavier Henry, drafted seven picks ahead of Bradley at No. 12 by the Grizzlies, was shipped to New Orleans Jan. 4 in a three-team trade for former Philadelphia forward Marreese Speights.
Henry is four months younger than Bradley, and when he was drafted, ESPN analyst David Thorpe wrote, “Either way, Henry is one of the few players who wasn’t drafted in the top five - he went 12th - who has All-Star potential. Memphis mentored [O.J.] Mayo beautifully as a rookie, and I see similar things happening with Henry.’’
Yet the Grizzlies dumped the 20-year-old Henry without ever giving him a chance to prove himself. He played 38 games as a rookie and was traded while nursing an ankle injury. The 76ers drafted Speights 16th overall in 2008, and he started four games in three years.
Patience is short with younger players. Gone are the days when prospects such as Jermaine O’Neal were given years before teams decided whether they could be cornerstones. The Trail Blazers drafted O’Neal out of high school in 1996 and he played sparingly over four seasons before they traded him to the Pacers for Dale Davis. O’Neal made six All-Star teams in Indiana.
“You haven’t seen something like this in sports where teams are trying to make a ton of money, so I think their patience is short with guys’ development,’’ said O’Neal.
“I think what organizations are not understanding is that sometimes it takes a little bit longer. When you draft players, you have to know what you’re drafting, what the time frame is you have for a draft pick, and what the support system is.
“Portland was perfect for me because I still had a lot of great people around me. The city was great for me.
