Phil

Pressey

Pressey played three seasons for the Tigers, averaging career-highs in scoring (11.9) and assists (7.0) while finishing as the team’s all-time leader in assists (580). He’s a very quick, creative passer who thrives in pick-and-rolls, but the downside is that he’s barely 6'0" and weighs 178 lbs, so he struggles to create his own shots and finish around the rim. He projects as a late second-round pick.

Brad Stevens said it was “unlikely that [Rondo] will be ready” for the Celtics’ season opener, and Ainge said he’d be “shocked” if Rondo plays. The Celtics are assessing his status on a week-to-week basis and there’s no clear timetable for his return. Until he’s healthy enough to play, Boston will patch up the PG position with Avery Bradley and Phil Pressey.

Danny Ainge had suggested that Bradley might miss the start of training camp but it now seems he’s ready to go. Rajon Rondo (knee) may not return until December and the starting PG job should belong to Bradley on opening night. He only averaged 2.1 assists and 1.4 turnovers last year, while shooting 40.2 percent from the field, but he did add 0.8 threes and 1.3 steals in 29 minutes per game. The Celtics are not expected to extend his contract before the Oct. 31 deadline.

He was a disappointment last season as Rajon Rondo’s fill-in, but new coach Brad Stevens may want to see how he can handle the 22-year-old guard. Rondo sounds like he’ll miss some time to start the year, so Bradley will compete with rookie Phil Pressey as the opening-night point guard.

“When I’m mentally ready I’ll play,” Rondo said. “This injury isn’t easy ... I want to feel confident. As [a point guard] legs are everything.” Danny Ainge previously suggested that Rondo won’t be ready to play until December, and Rondo’s quotes confirm as much. Boston will rely on Avery Bradley and Phil Pressey until Rondo’s ready to go.

Pressey could start at point guard for the Celtics until Rondo (knee) returns, and the extra time Rondo is spending with the rookie is another indication to support that claim. The Boston point guard situation is very unclear at the moment, but it’ll be worth monitoring throughout the preseason. Pressey is only a target in deep leagues until further notice.

Stevens added that he told Rondo to “return when he feels ready.” The lack of a timeline has been the story for Rondo for most of the summer and Stevens said his star point guard didn’t have a timeline last week, either. Rondo will remain a high-risk pick in fantasy drafts and since he’s also spending more time in teaching rookie Phil Pressey, the team may be preparing for Rondo not to be 100 percent for the opener. Stay tuned.

“I thought Phil Pressey had as good a day as any guard we had [on Tuesday],” Stevens said. Pressey is going to battle with Avery Bradley for the starting point guard spot while Rajon Rondo recovers from ACL surgery. Even if he does win the job, the rookie will likely struggle too much to keep him from consistent value in standard leagues. He’s on the radar in deeper leagues and if he keeps up his solid play in October, he could climb into the discussion in shallower formats.

“The plays that I run, it’s kind of like I play point guard, but everyone makes plays for each other,” Bradley said. “You can bring the ball up, or the two-guard can bring the ball up. Everybody is interchangeable.” Bradley had a lousy 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio last year and it’s understandable that Brad Stevens won’t turn over the offense to him, but Bradley will still get all the minutes he can handle in Boston’s backcourt. He had multiple shoulder surgeries last December but said that he now feels “amazing.”

He’s a little undersized at 5'11", but he made plays at Missouri for the Tigers. Considering Avery Bradley didn’t really thrive at point guard last season, Pressey has a shot for minutes behind Rajon Rondo. Obviously, he has his work cut out for him.