National Basketball Association

Boston Celtics Player Profile: Avery Bradley

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Diving into what to expect from Avery Bradley in 2016-17

Avery Bradley will be entering his seventh season with the Boston Celtics on 2016-17. It doesn’t seem like he’s been around for that long, especially when considering he’s just 25-years-old. Bradley is still young and the Celtics will have a tough contract decision to make regarding him in a couple of seasons.

That’s still a couple of years away, luckily. What the Celtics do know is that Avery Bradley continues to improve every year and is coming off a career-year.

Bradley made the NBA All-Defensive First Team, his second All-Defensive Team of his career. He also contributed 15.2 points (career-high), 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists (career-high) and 1.5 steals (career-high) per game. Bradley’s game on both ends of the floor perfectly complemented Isaiah Thomas‘ skill set, as well.

Bradley is a tough on-ball defender who plays the passing lanes well, giving the Celtics a defensive anchor in their back court alongside their 5-9 point guard. Offensively, he doesn’t need the ball to be effective, allowing Thomas to maintain his aggressive style of play. Plus, he shot a solid 44.7 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three.

Bradley is coming off a hamstring injury, however all reports state that he’ll enter training camp at 100 percent. According to reports, Bradley wanted to return at the end of the Celtics series with the Atlanta Hawks, but doctors didn’t allow him to.

Either way, Bradley is coming off a hamstring injury that could be a lingering issue for a defender who goes full speed every play. Besides that, there’s no guarantee that Bradley will continue to improve on either end of the floor. It’s going to be his seventh season in the league and it’s hard to imagine him drastically improving over the coming years.

Bradley is still a great option for the Celtics at shooting guard, though. As long as he can stay healthy, he’s an integral part to the Celtics.

Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Areas to Improve

Defensively, Avery Bradley is as good as they come. Being named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team signifies that he’s one of the best defensive guards in the league, and he’s setting his goals even higher this season by saying he wants to be the Defensive Player of the Year. While Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green have made that a two-man race over the past couple of years, it doesn’t take away from the defensive intensity Bradley brings every night.

More from Hardwood Houdini

As long as he sticks to his game and doesn’t try to do too much then he’ll continue to thrive on defense. He doesn’t need to be a ball hawk and lead the team in steals like Jae Crowder, the Celtics need him to be a shut down defender so Isaiah Thomas can continue playing heavy minutes late in games.

It’s hard to get any space for a jumper when Avery Bradley is on you. It could get even harder this season if Al Horford proves to be a legitimate rim protector that opposing players fear, forcing them into contested mid-range shots with Bradley’s hand in their face. The Celtics have the team for Bradley to have another special season on defense, but he has to play within himself.

For the Celtics to get better, though, Bradley will need to step up on offense, or at least not regress. 15.2 points per game ranked second on the team and his 36.1 three-point percentage was also the third best on Boston a season ago. Bradley has seen his offensive production increase almost every year since being drafted 19th overall in 2010, but last season was the first time he shot over 44 percent since his second season.

Boston isn’t expecting him to increase his scoring to 20 points per night, however the Celtics can’t afford him to shoot any worse. The Celtics only ranked 24th in field-goal percentage and 28th in three-point percentage as a team. Maybe Gerald Green will add stability from behind the arc, however last season Bradley was their most consistent three-point shooting wing.

He’s not a sharpshooter from deep, in fact, Bradley is best from 16 feet to the three-point line, where he shot a solid 38.7 percent last season. 30.9 percent of his shots came from that range, although if Boston improves as a team from three then Bradley could see even more mid-range opportunities. Getting easy baskets from a curl around jumper was Bradley’s speciality, and the Celtics would love to implement that more into their game plan.

When it comes down to it, if the Celtics get the same production that they got last year, they’ll be happy. When healthy, Bradley’s importance on defense isn’t matched by anyone on the team and he was one of the Celtics’ main offensive weapons considering he could occasionally create shots for himself.

Hamstring injuries can be a lingering issue, which worries me. Bradley is an important part to the Celtics’ success, and they can’t afford to lose him for a significant stretch or in the postseason, again. If Bradley can improve again that would be huge, but the Celtics just need Bradley’s same efficiency and production to stay afloat in the East.

Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

What to Expect in 2016-17

If the Celtics want to make a deep run in the playoffs they need Avery Bradley, it’s as simple as that. You can make the argument that Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart are superior defenders, however Crowder is a small forward and Smart’s offensive production would be too big of a liability to handle Bradley’s role.

Bradley led the team with 33.4 minutes per game last season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that decline a little in 2016-17. While Bradley has never been considered injury prone, he has always missed at least a little time in the regular season. Besides the lockout shortened 2011-12 season, Bradley has missed at least five games every season of his career. He played in 77 and 76 games over the past two years, however getting hurt in the playoffs somewhat diminishes his health.

Despite Marcus Smart’s offense and the uncertainty surrounding Terry Rozier in a bigger role, the Celtics seemingly have solid options behind Bradley. Sure, the Celtics would be sacrificing some quality of play in the regular season at times, but it’s worth it if it means Bradley is 100 percent in the playoffs.

At the same time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his role stay about the same. 14 percent of his minutes came at small forward in 2015-16, and with Evan Turner now in Portland, the Celtics could look towards Bradley in a small ball lineup to fill Turner’s shoes.

Statistically, it’s hard to say what type of numbers Bradley will put up because so much of his game doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Running around and tiring his defender on offense and then being a pest on defense isn’t seen in the stat sheet after every game. It makes it seem like Bradley isn’t making an impact on some games, however it’s rare for him to have an off night on both ends of the floor.

At this point of his career, the Celtics know what to expect from Bradley. He found his niche in the NBA and will keep trying to expand on it. Although, expecting anything more than the 15.2 points per game he averaged last season and outstanding defense is asking too much from him. Bradley will continue being the starting two guard on the Celtics for as long as he’s with the team, but don’t expect major developments in his game like we might see from other young players.

This article originally appeared on