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Avery Bradley to Miss More Time

By Joshua Bateman

Dec 26, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) talks to referee Curtis Blair (74) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) talks to referee Curtis Blair (74) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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Before anyone hits the panic button, this is far from a serious injury for Avery Bradley. The Boston Celtics were without him against the Brooklyn Nets and now he is likely to miss another two games. The Celtics continue to battle though injury issues this year. Fortunately, they have avoided anything too serious.

Bradley is simply dealing with a hip bruise suffered in the first of two games against the Nets but he should avoid missing any significant time as it heals. The timing is both good and bad, however. It is good in the sense that Marcus Smart appears ready to reclaim his full role with the team, reinforcing their guard depth. The bad timing is that once again the defensive terror that is the duo of Smart and Bradley will have to wait even longer before they play together.

The length of Bradley’s injury suggests that he will have no problem getting back into the lineup when he returns. Smart, who was out for weeks, has been eased back into the lineup. He is yet to start and the initial games were all under 20 minutes played. The bigger concern may be that both Smart and Bradley continue to suffer injuries.

The Celtics benefit greatly because of their depth which puts them in a strong position to deal with these injuries but if they want to go on a serious run then they will have to be healthy. It is hard to imagine where the Celtics could be had Smart and Bradley been healthy for the entirety of this season but for a young team it has opened opportunities.

Apr 21, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) loses the ball against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36), forward Brandon Bass (30) and guard Avery Bradley (0) in the first quarter in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) loses the ball against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36), forward Brandon Bass (30) and guard Avery Bradley (0) in the first quarter in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Evan Turner has been playing well enough and his strong impact on the defensive end makes a huge difference. Turner has a well defined role on the team and much of it was established because of what was needed with the injuries.

The Celtics know that they are capable of overcoming Bradley’s injury but they will be itching to get their back court back together. The injury to Bradley also puts Smart in a much more convenient position to regain his starting position. However, that will once again create the issue of who should be coming off the bench.

Isaiah Thomas has flourished as a starter but he can be the most effective player off the bench and the spark he provided with the second unit last season was a main catalyst in propelling them to the playoffs. Smart is becoming much more comfortable controlling Stevens’ offense but as long as he is playing with Thomas he will not be the primary ball handler.

While it is all but guaranteed that Bradley will miss the next two games, it is still unclear beyond that. With how the Celtics handled Smart’s injuries you can expect the Celtics to remain cautious with Bradley. Bradley is having the best season of his career and the future continues to be the priority in Boston. The Celtics will make sure that there is no additional risk when Bradley returns and if that means missing more than two more games, they will have no problem doing that.

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The Celtics will have to continue to wait to get their great back court back together and they will be ready to go on their best run of the season if Bradley and Smart can finally be healthy together again.

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