Shortly after Jason Terry signed with the Celtics this past offseason, he visited Reebok headquarters in Canton for a promotional appearance.

Terry has been endorsed by Reebok for much of his career, and the partnership worked out perfectly for Boston sports writers over the summer in the aftermath of Terry's signing with the Celtics. Terry had to be in Massachusetts in August per his endorsement deal, so the Boston media had an opportunity to meet "Jet" in a relatively private setting. 

By the time I met with Terry that afternoon, the 2011 NBA champion already had given at least five other one-on-one interviews. He was tired of answering the same questions. Nevertheless, I fired away. "Why did you sign with Boston? What is your understanding of your role? Can you replace Ray Allen?"

I'd interviewed several other Reebok-sponsored athletes that day -- John Wall, Jameer Nelson, Isaiah Thomas, Ramon Sessions. No one had their talking points down like Terry. He enthusiastically said he signed with Boston for the opportunity to play with two Hall of Famers, the best point guard in the NBA and the best coach in the NBA. He said coming to Boston felt like going "home." And most importantly in my view, he said he saw himself continuing in his role as sixth man -- the first player off the bench for a team competing for an NBA championship.

At the time, I figured the signing had to be considered a huge success. The Celtics ranked 29th out of the 30 teams in the NBA last season in bench scoring. Terry knew his role coming in, he could create his own shot and he had a history of delivering in the postseason.

Two months into his tenure as a Celtic, Terry has been a disappointment. That figures to change with the return of Avery Bradley.

Bradley returned Wednesday night, and the Celtics promptly lost their fourth consecutive game by double digits. Many fans quickly dismissed Bradley's impact, pointing to his inability to help the team's rebounding struggles. Those struggles on the glass might continue, but Bradley's impact should be substantial simply due to his ability to push Terry back to his natural role as a bench scorer.

Terry has not taken to a starting role this season, as is evidenced by his scoring numbers. Last season, he scored 15.1 points per game for the Mavericks while averaging 31.7 minutes per night. He started only one of the 63 games in which he played. This season, Terry's scoring numbers are down to 11.4 per game, although he is averaging similar minutes with 30.6 per night. Prior to Bradley's return, Terry started 22 of 30 games this season.

At this stage of Terry's career, at the age of 35, a decline in his production is expected. Still, that doesn't fully explain his struggles this season. His game is better suited for a reserve role, when he is matched up against other team's reserve guards. Terry is not a strong defensive player, as is evidenced by the Celtics' declining defensive rating (-3.3 percent) when he is on the floor. However, he still can provide instant offense against an opposing team's second wave of players. Overall, the Celtics' scoring numbers have increased across the board this season, with the biggest change in rotational minutes being Terry's replacement of Ray Allen. Terry actually is shooting a higher percentage this season (43.7) than he did last year (43.0) with the Mavericks.

On the whole, the Celtics rank in the bottom third of the NBA in bench production. By measure of efficiency, this year's bench has been significantly worse than last year's bench. Despite its inability to score, last year's bench ranked 17th in the league in efficiency with an average plus/minus rating of minus-2.8. The bench on this year's team ranks 21st in the league with an average of minus-5.2

Now playing in the role that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge intended for him, Terry figures to help improve the bench numbers. With Bradley back in the starting lineup, Terry no longer will be asked to defend players like Dwyane Wade, Paul George or Joe Johnson for 25 minutes per night. Instead, he'll be asked to provide instant offense off the bench, something the Celtics desperately needed last season. When Terry was at his best in the 2011 playoffs, his scoring average jumped from 15.8 per game in the regular season to 17.5 in the playoffs, and he served as the second-best scoring option behind Dirk Nowitzki on an NBA championship team.

That is the player Ainge signed last summer, and he expects a backcourt of Rondo, Bradley, Terry and Courtney Lee to play at a championship level for the rest of the season. That leaves players like Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass and Fab Melo susceptible to trades as Ainge looks to improve his play in the frontcourt.