Through a handful of spectacular efforts over the season’s opening two weeks, Boston’s Avery Bradley is making a case for an early All-Star conversation.
First an NBA All-Defensive First-Teamer, next an Eastern Conference All-Star?
Throughout the first five games of the young season, Boston Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley is bidding his case to improve his reputation to that of being an All-Star. After already cementing his status as one of the most ferocious on-ball defenders in the NBA, Bradley has taken strides to improve the other facets of his arsenal as well – and it has shown in his performance thus far.
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Bradley has upped his scoring average from 15.2 to 20.6 points per game, witnessed his rebounding average skyrocket from a mere 2.9 boards per game last season to a whopping 8.2 per night, and seen his assist levels double from 2.1 per game in 2015-16 to 4.2 per outing. He is shooting at a wild 50.6 percent clip while taking 2.8 more shots per game than he did in last year’s campaign, hitting 48.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
With Boston seeking improvement in both the shooting and rebounding categories, Bradley’s emergence in this genres of play has been critical to the squad jumping out to a 3-2 start, with narrow losses to the Eastern Conference’s elite in the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. After shooting just 36.1 percent from deep last season, Bradley is showcasing a newfound confidence in his shooting stroke, and head coach Brad Stevens in capitalizing on this by calling a plethora of off-ball screens to find him open looks from the perimeter.
The Celtics entered the season searching for someone to separate themselves as a legitimate shooting threat after finishing a mere 28th in the league in three-point field goal percentage last year. So far, Bradley has answered the call, hitting a stunning eight of his 11 three-point attempts in a 31-point showing against the Charlotte Hornets on October 29, while knocking down a trio of treys in Boston’s opening night win over the Brooklyn Nets three nights earlier.
Boston currently sits an impressive fourth in three-point percentage at 39.3 percent, and much of this efficiency has to do with Bradley’s ability to pop off of screens and knock down open shots. With the fluidity of the Celtics ball movement, open shots will arise, and it is reassuring for the team to see the likes of Bradley step up and convert on these looks that would not have been capitalized on for the better part of last season.
Bradley’s presence on the boards has also been remarkable, assisting a Celtics team that ranks as the smallest in the NBA. With their lack of height, Boston needs backcourt options to make an impact in the rebounding area, and Bradley has filled this role perfectly. He crashed the glass for nine rebounds against the Nets, 11 against Charlotte, and 10 on Thursday night in the six-point loss to the Cavaliers. These contributions are considerable for a team that has often been outrebounded by their opposition, including losing the rebounding battle by a margin of 44-38 to Cleveland and being crushed on the glass by a combined 104-75 in two games against the Bulls.
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If Bradley can keep up this level of output, do not be surprised if he eclipses teammate Isaiah Thomas as the Celtics frontrunner for a nod to the mid-winter classic in February.