Indiana Pacers Draft Avery Bradley With 10th Pick In SB Nation NBA Mock Draft

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 19, 2025 4:50 PM EDT in NBA Draft 2010 Comment 16 comments

More photos » Charlie Neibergall - AP

Texas' Avery Bradley gives the hook 'em horns upon learning that he'll be selected tenth overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft.

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams. Tom Lewis, manager at SB Nation's Indiana Pacers blog Indy Cornrows, checks in to make the tenth overall selection in this year's mock.

With the tenth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Indiana Pacers have selected Avery Bradley, guard, Texas Longhorns.

Lewis explains: Like the Pacers, I'd prefer using the 10th pick as part of a trade for immediate point guard help and/or more picks later in the draft. Patrick Patterson fits the mold of a perfect Larry Bird/David Morway pick at this spot thanks to his college experience and strong workouts. The problem is, last year they drafted a similar player in Tyler Hansbrough while leaving several point guard options on the board.

So why not go against the grain again and take a point guard with several strong power forward options on the board. Avery Bradley will have to develop into a point guard but the Pacers liked what they saw in his workouts and he has the talent and upside worth taking a chance with the 10th pick. With A.J. Price nursing a severe knee injury and T.J. Ford on the outs, the Pacers have to add a guard to the roster. Plus, the lack of options may force Jim O'Brien to play Bradley despite JOB's reluctance to play young players.

The Pacers have indicated they'll be very active in trying to change their roster this summer and the rumor mill seems to back that up, but for this draft I'm assuming they are making no other moves than adding players through the draft. If the Pacers don't make any other moves then they're headed for the lottery again, so they might as well add a talented, young asset at a position of desperate need.

Ridiculous Upside reacts: I agree with Tom - Patterson would be great, but he doesn't fill a need - regardless of your thoughts on Hansbrough.

Bradley could fill a glaring hole at the point - and be very good at it - but he's currently more of a two-guard in a point guard's body rather than someone you draft in the top 10 to shore up the point guard rotation.

Best option, as previously mentioned, is to probably trade down and get a little bit better value.

Burnt Orange Nation weighs in: It seems the Texas blogs focus a bit more on football than basketball, but I was able to find this lovely anecdote from a post entitled What I'll Remember From 2009-2010:

2) Avery Bradley's Monster Dunk Against Western Carolina: Due to representing UT Law in a Mock Trial Competition, I missed our first game against UC Irvine. My first exposure to the team--and the freshmen--came in the game against Western Carolina. This dunk was how Avery Bradley welcomed me back to the Drum. In this one :13 highlight, you can see why he was ranked as the #1 HS player in the country.

Uh, yeah. That'll do.

Ridiculous Upside's Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Patrick Patterson, PF, Kentucky. 2 - Luke Babbitt, F, Nevada. 3 - Ekpe Udoh, PF/C, Baylor. 4 - Ed Davis, PF, North Carolina. 5 - Hassan Whiteside, PF/C, Marshall.

Sound off, SB Nation! What say you of the Bradley-to-Indiana pick?

And please, remember to check out Indy Cornrows for everything you need to know about the Pacers (including the profile Cornrows' contributor Levy2725 did on Bradley earlier this month).

Poll

What do you think of the Pacers reaching for Bradley?

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Read More: 2010 nba draft, nba draft 2010, Avery Bradley (G - Texas), Indiana Pacers, Texas Longhorns

Comments

Not much of a reach. I still think they’ll trade the pick and try to get Lawson from Denver since this is a crappy point guard draft. Gave it a B.

Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jun 19, 2025 5:02 PM EDT reply actions

Not much of a reach

But if Indiana doesn’t grab him, who takes him?

I write about basketball players with Ridiculous Upside. I know you'll love it.

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 19, 2025 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions

That was the dilemma for my mock. Also why I have Eric Bledsoe falling almost out of the first round. David Kahn loves point guards though.

Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jun 19, 2025 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions

See

If the next possibility you see is 16 (to a team with 23 point guards in it’s current possession), I classify it as a reach - maybe not talent wise, but that he could’ve been had later.

I write about basketball players with Ridiculous Upside. I know you'll love it.

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 19, 2025 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I can see the Miami Heat drafting Avery Bradley to split minutes with Mario Chalmers at point guard.

by AK1984 on Jun 20, 2025 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

The Pacers have no shortage of shooters

You wonder how he’ll fit in. In a way though it was either this or Paul George, maybe Babbitt. You already got Hibbert and Hansbrough, and there’s a high lack of point guards left.

I gave it a B.

"We follow people who know a lot more about basketball than I do or pretend to..."
--David Stern

by Speedingtime on Jun 19, 2025 6:37 PM EDT reply actions

Every year the Pacers need a PG and every year they draft something else. Onto this pick, it might work in Jim O’Brian’s system. Obie values a point guard that can defend and shoot which Avery bradley can do. If Jarett Jack can make the transition, why not Bradley…

by teddygreen on Jun 19, 2025 6:41 PM EDT reply actions

Why

take this guy when he most likely will drop in the draft if you do not take him here? They might be able to get him lower in the draft and get a player if they trade the pick. I am not a Pacers fan so of course i am on the outside looking in with my ideology

One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.

by gunnin' gervin on Jun 19, 2025 7:26 PM EDT reply actions

Tom realizes that

But we didn’t allow trades in this mock so that wasn’t possible.

I write about basketball players with Ridiculous Upside. I know you'll love it.

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 19, 2025 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions

This makes what? Like the 15th SG they have drafted in the last 3 years?

by Aisander D on Jun 19, 2025 8:16 PM EDT reply actions

They started Brandon Rush last year

Can you blame them?

I write about basketball players with Ridiculous Upside. I know you'll love it.

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 19, 2025 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions

No, I spose not.

by Aisander D on Jun 19, 2025 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions

For the Indiana Pacers, its front office should really push to trade the 10th pick — as well as salary filler ...

in Josh McRoberts and A.J. Price — to the Denver Nuggets for Ty Lawson. The Nuggets should use that pick on Patrick Patterson, who’d fill out its somewhat thin and injury prone frontline rotation of Nene, Kenyon Martin, and Chris “Birdman” Andersen.

by AK1984 on Jun 20, 2025 11:32 AM EDT reply actions

Judging by the votes

The reaction seems pretty mixed…

"We follow people who know a lot more about basketball than I do or pretend to..."
--David Stern

by Speedingtime on Jun 20, 2025 12:10 PM EDT reply actions

I voted B as a Texas alum. I think Bradley’s upside makes reaching a little early for a team that is in a serious rebuild makes sense.

Pacers fans, would you trade TJ Ford and tenth pick for hometown boy and true 09-10 MIP, George Hill? I’d have to think about this for the Spurs, but I’m trying to get your feelings on the trade. I don’t think I would, but I think it is an interesting trade if the Spurs really wanted Babbitt or Paul George or some other player that will likely be gone before the 20th pick.

by BlaseE on Jun 20, 2025 6:25 PM EDT reply actions