There were rumors of trading the pick. This year’s draft was not considered to be as deep as years past, sparking doubt that the Celtics could snag a legitimate contributor with their first-round pick, No. 19 overall. And when looking ahead to an uncertain season, every acquisition is significant.

But the Celtics got their man.

Avery Bradley, a 19-year-old guard from the University of Texas whom the team had been eyeing for over a year, still was available. The pleasantly surprised Celtics called his name with excitement.

“Bradley was always the guy that we wanted the most,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

Bradley had been high on Doc Rivers’ list since the beginning of the draft process. Bradley’s tape was the first one Rivers saw among all prospects, and he was immediately impressed.

In fact, the Celtics braintrust was so impressed that the team did not expect Avery to be available by the time its pick arrived. And had the Longhorns guard not been on the board, Boston would have considered parting with its pick.

“Avery Bradley was the first name and the first tape that [Ainge] showed me,” Rivers recalled. “Then when he finished he said, ‘I don’t think he’s going to be there.’ Fortunately, there were a couple of trades made right in front of us that really helped us. He was the guy we wanted and we really only had two guys on our board that we thought we would draft. If we didn’t, we were probably going to move the pick.

“What stood out for me in the tape, it’s funny, we were watching the games and Danny kept talking about all the offensive things," Rivers continued. “And what stood out to me clearly was his defense, that as a freshman, he defended right away. You don’t get that very often.”

Celtics fans will have to wait a few months to get their first glimpse at Bradley on the court. He sprained his ankle during pre-draft workouts and will not participate in the Orlando Summer League with the Celtics. They expect him back on the court and ready to contribute by the end of the summer.

After Bradley gave his first interview as a member of the Celtics on Thursday night, it was easy to see why the organization was so high on the young guard. Bradley prides himself on the foundation of Celtics basketball -- defense.

At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, he is quick on the court and aggressive on the ball. His talent was recognized with Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors last year.

“I would definitely love to be one of the top defenders in the league,” Bradley said. “I’d love to try to get Rookie of the Year. That’s my goal.”

More importantly, though, Bradley’s ultimate goal is to fit into the Celtics system. He watched the team’s run during the playoffs (even though he is from the West Coast, he says he was rooting for the C’s the entire time) and has studied the game of Rajon Rondo.

Bradley says defense comes naturally to him and considers it a gift, noting, “I’ve been the best defender on every team I’ve played on since first grade.

“I definitely feel like that’s the part of my game that I’m most comfortable with right now,“ Bradley continued. “I feel like I have to work on every part of my game, even on the defensive end. But defense is definitely the strongest part of my game right now.”

While the Celtics are hopeful that Bradley’s offense will develop, his defense is what convinced the team that its draft pick was worth keeping.