Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley boasts All-Defensive credentials (First Team, 2015-16 and Second Team, 2012-13) on his resume. He has also steadily grown his offensive game over the years, from the 9.2 ppg he averaged in 2012-13 to a career-best 15.2 ppg last season as one of the better offensive options on the Celtics. Yet Bradley isn’t happy with that growth and says he wants players league-wide to know him for both his offense and his defense, writes Scott Souza of the Providence Journal:
In his first six seasons with the Celtics, Avery Bradley has gone from a defensive specialist, to starting guard, to knockdown shooter, to the team’s second-leading scorer and an NBA all-defensive selection last season.
This summer, Bradley said he focused on being a better distributor and decision-maker in hopes of adding to his game. Through two preseason contests, he has averaged 5.5 assists to go with 12.5 points and 3.0 rebounds on 47.6-percent shooting — 40 percent on 3-pointers — in less than 23 minutes per game. Based on the 36 minutes Bradley would be expected to play on a nightly basis, that averages to 19.8 points, 8.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds.
“I knew he could shoot the ball,” Horford said. “But he’s a much better shooter than I thought. He can really shoot the 3, pull-up, and he’s also a really good passer.
“You get so caught up in his defense, and how great he is defensively, that you lose sight of some of the things he can do on offense. I am just excited to be able to play with him because I feel like I will be able to get him open through screens, and handoffs, and he can shoot the ball.”
Bradley said he spent last summer working on getting his team defense on par with his individual defense, and it paid off with him being recognized as the best defensive guard in the league. He said he is hoping his assist numbers this year reflect a similar dedication to being a better facilitator.
“I know it’s something that I needed to improve,” said Bradley, whose career-best coming into the season was 2.1 assists per game last year. “In order to take my game to the next level I needed to add that to my game. That’s something that I’m challenging myself every single game, every single practice, to get my teammates involved. I know I have a lot of opportunities to do it. I’m starting to look at the game, and see the game different, understanding where my spots are and where I can get guys shots.”
