Avery Bradley entering a make or break season – NBA Feature
Last season saw Avery Bradley cement himself in the Boston Celtics line up.
The young guard showed enough signs to suggest that he can establish himself as a prime defender in the NBA and was the man who replaced Ray Allen once the veteran sharp shooter got injured.
However Bradley’s performances during the short spanned season were short lived due to a shoulder injury which brought an end to his campaign during the playoffs. There is no doubt that Bradley has the talent, but for him the problem
is the fitness as shoulder injuries have caused him much trouble so far.
Just when he was about to recover from a left shoulder surgery in the off season, Bradley had to undergo surgery on the other shoulder. He still has enough time to be fully fit for majority of next season but these injuries are
cause of major concern. Bradley is not expected to play a lot of minutes in the early stages of the season and is not expected to be fully fit till December. And yet there is no guarantee of him suffering another injury when he finally makes his way back.
If he is lucky and condition his body properly, Bradley can be back with the same amount of energy on defence. However, there are a few things which Bradley would have to work on before he can be of great value to the current Celtics
unit who have very high title aspirations.
Last season Bradley shot 49.8% from the field and around 40% from beyond the arc. These statistics may be impressive but his point average of 7.6 points per game tells a different story. The limited number of attempts were mainly
because of his inability to create his own shot. He got most of his point while running the fast breaks and receiving assists courtesy of Rajon Rondo.
So what does Bradley need to do to be a better offensive weapon?
The first thing he would have to work on is his ball handling which caused him trouble on more than a few occasions while also focussing on his passing skills to create opportunities for his teammates.
Another thing, Bradley needs to work on is his movement while running a set offence. He is very good in transition and has no problem coping on the defensive end but on most occasions last season, he seemed non-existent on the
offence, which was completely run by Kevin Garnett and Rondo. His floor spacing has to improve for him to be a more legitimate scoring threat.
If Bradley is able to work on these few things, he has a chance of making a strong come back and be effective on both ends of the floor. At the moment the task of making a full recovery and staying injury free is the priority.
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