Utah Jazz: Draft pick Tony Bradley, a work in progress, has a history of self-improvement

Tony Bradley Sr. took his son to the 2009 McDonald's All-American Game in Coral Gables, Fla., to watch Kenny Boynton, a Florida local. But Bradley soon saw his son transfixed by Derrick Favors, DeMarcus Cousins and a handful of other big men stealing the show.

Bradley bought his son, then a middle-schooler, a T-shirt and program. Seeing how much the boy wanted to join the ranks of All-Americans one day, the father also shelled out thousands of dollars to build a concrete basketball court by the house. The son shot on it day and night, hoping to mold himself into one of the players he had seen outside Miami that day.

Years later, when Tony Bradley Jr. did become a McDonald's All-American, he showed his father the shirt and program he had kept for seven years, preserved with the care of religious artifacts.

"He said, 'Dad, I told you,' " Tony Bradley Sr. recalled. " 'This is what I wanted to do.' "

Tony Bradley, the 19-year-old draft pick of the Utah Jazz, hopes his next step doesn't take seven years. But he's shown that he's willing to do the work to get there.

At 6-foot-10 and with a 7-5 wingspan, Bradley is seen by the Jazz as a block of marble who can be shaped into a quality NBA player. They liked his physical tools and advanced metrics from college so much that they traded up to get him at No. 28.

A week of Summer League at once showed how far Bradley needs to progress, but also provided brief glimpses of what the Jazz hope he can do — be physical on the glass, use his reach to bother big men on defense and clean up around the hoop. While he was only 4 for 11 for eight points Thursday night, Jazz assistant Alex Jensen said Bradley started playing confidently in the fourth quarter as Utah surged back from a double-digit deficit against the Boston Celtics.

"That was the best he's played, I think, all three games," he said. "He's young, and the best part of this is we have film that we can use to help teach him about screens and things of that nature."

By comparison with Donovan Mitchell, his gregarious rookie counterpart, Bradley prefers to be a little more withdrawn from the spotlight. This is the teenager who was picked as prom king of Bartow High School in his native Florida and didn't want the honor.

"I was forced to be," he said. "I tried to leave before they announced. They made me stay. That was a pretty cool experience, but I didn't want the attention."

But that makes sense taking into account Bradley's small-town roots. His family hails from Bartow, a town of roughly 19,000 that is just over an hourlong drive from Tampa. His parents, Tony Sr. and Vanessa Bradley, both went to Bartow High, and their courtship started after they reconnected at a Bartow High basketball game.

As Tony Bradley grew from a preteen wannabe McDonald's All-American into a player resembling one, he was recruited by several big-name prep schools. His Bartow High coach, Terrence McGriff, had to make a pitch to keep his best player in his hometown. He promised the Yellow Jackets would play a tough schedule and that he would spar Bradley against coaches who were former college players.

McGriff also had a trump card that the prep schools couldn't offer: The chance to finish high school in the same community he had known his whole life. The town where his father serves as a correctional facility counselor and pastor of a local church, and his mother works at a nearby hospital. Where all his friends and family lived and could continue to support him.

"We told his parents he could be a top 50 kid here," McGriff said. "They've been around us, they know us. We would be coaching one All-American instead of seven, so we could offer him more attention."

How could he say no?

"I'm a community guy," he said. "I'm loyal to my hometown and my community."

Bradley ended up averaging 22.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, earning Florida's Mr. Basketball, Florida Gatorade player of the year and, of course, McDonald's All-American. His exploits drew the attention of North Carolina coach Roy Williams, and it didn't take much for Williams to sway Bradley to commit to his dream school.

But reality took hold in college, where he played behind two seniors in Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. While Bradley had some promising early games, he had to learn not to be the centerpiece with the Tar Heels.

He had to learn patience.

"I think it was good for him. I always tell our guys that the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back," Williams said. "I think he learned how hard he needed to push himself, how hard he needed to concentrate."

Williams called Bradley an invaluable piece on North Carolina's team last year. As the Tar Heels clinched the title over Gonzaga in April, Bradley helped UNC control the boards with seven rebounds and added five points.

While his numbers weren't prolific as a freshman, Williams understood that he had a good shot at being only the third one-and-done to play for him at North Carolina. After Bradley declared, Williams talked to many teams about him, but perhaps had the longest conversations with Kevin O'Connor of the Jazz. The two are longtime friends.

With Utah's track record, Williams said he sees big things in Bradley's future — even if he's being coached by a Duke alum.

"Hey, I've heard good things about Quin Snyder, and if Kevin O'Connor trusts him, then Roy Williams trusts him," he said. "With good coaching, Tony is just going to get better and better. That's who he is."

Even Bradley acknowledges getting adjusted to the NBA likely will be a process. In Summer League, he quickly observed how much more physical and strong pro big men are. He noted the craftiness of some veterans, how they are able to draw contact when officials aren't watching and muscle their way to what they want on the court.

Bradley isn't there yet. But in time, if his track record is any indication, he could be.

"Not a lot of people realize what he can do," Tony Bradley Sr. said. "The Utah Jazz got a steal, and they know that. Gradually people will be able to see that."