Avery Bradley, Defensive Monster?

[Evantime34]

He's lived up to the hype on that end of the court.

It's tough to maintain that level of defensive intensity and also have anything left in the tank for offense, though.  At some point we might see him ease up a bit if he's asked to do more on the other end.

Tonight was a good example of that.  Bradley expended a ton of energy limiting Westbrook.   Green and Pierce expended a ton of energy limiting Durant.  We knew it was going to come down to whether or not our other guards got hot. They didn't... so we lost.

Eh, I don't think Bradley is a good enough offensive player to worry about saving himself for scoring.  On a good night he's about as useful offensively as Lee is.  Which is nice, but we can get that elsewhere, too.

  Bradley's looking like the better of the two on offense.

My take on it is that when Bradley is looking good offensively, he certainly looks better.  But he seems less capable of doing that consistently.

Maybe Bradley can become a bit more productive than Lee is (or has been), but not that much more.

Let's be clear, though -- both Lee and Bradley are fine complementary offensive players.  The comparison is not meant to be negative. It's just that Bradley's primary value is and always will be on the defensive end.

He's only 22, I think his offense will end up being much better than Courtney Lee. Lee is five years older, I expect Bradley to improve by leaps and bounds offensively because he is one of the hardest workers there is.

[CelticConcourse]

Bradley's only  bad game defensively was against Atlanta when Teague continuaily got to the rim

Oladipo = Tony Allen + 2 inches + better offense+ much higher IQ

And how can you say that without seeing him play one NBA game? You can't.

[hpantazo]

Bradley's only  bad game defensively was against Atlanta when Teague continuaily got to the rim

Oladipo = Tony Allen + 2 inches + better offense+ much higher IQ

And how can you say that without seeing him play one NBA game? You can't.

same way people can say they expect Bradley to improve by "leaps and bounds" offensively: total speculation

[hardlyyardley]

Celtics Concourse.....if that's you stand then........

How do you judge any player prior to playing one NBA game?

[SHAQATTACK]

love AB's heart /effort, he payed super defense I thought against OKC .

 my fav Celtic after KG .

I think AB offense will pickup more and more , he was just hitting his stride when the shoulders took him out.

I just admire and root for guys who play defense.

[CelticConcourse]

Celtics Concourse.....if that's you stand then........

How do you judge any player prior to playing one NBA game?

You can speculate but there's no way you can declare

Oladipo = Tony Allen + 2 inches + better offense+ much higher IQ

Until he plays for at least half a season. The NBA style of play is different from that of any other league. But sure, we can take a gamble on him.

[syfy9]

For the years to come, when Rondo comes back, Bradley will be playing off the ball. I think he is one of the best cutters in the NBA as well - he times them so perfectly and has a great feel of when to do it. He's brilliant, and Rondo/KG in the post hit him almost always perfectly.

Offensively, I don't think he should be exerting so much energy. Drives every so often are nice, but as long as he can continue to cut as well as he has been for the past couple of years, honing his spot up shooting would be the only key aspect to his offensive game. I can see a 15+ ppg average out of Bradley in the future.

[celticmania]

I know Oladipo is going to be better offensively than Tony Allen. The hoops in college are the same height as in the nba. I've never seen Tony Allen make a jumpshot and oladipo makes jumpshots all the time. Also, tony allen has the worst handles in the nba

[BballTim]

He's lived up to the hype on that end of the court.

It's tough to maintain that level of defensive intensity and also have anything left in the tank for offense, though.  At some point we might see him ease up a bit if he's asked to do more on the other end.

Tonight was a good example of that.  Bradley expended a ton of energy limiting Westbrook.   Green and Pierce expended a ton of energy limiting Durant.  We knew it was going to come down to whether or not our other guards got hot. They didn't... so we lost.

Eh, I don't think Bradley is a good enough offensive player to worry about saving himself for scoring.  On a good night he's about as useful offensively as Lee is.  Which is nice, but we can get that elsewhere, too.

  Bradley's looking like the better of the two on offense.

My take on it is that when Bradley is looking good offensively, he certainly looks better.  But he seems less capable of doing that consistently.

Maybe Bradley can become a bit more productive than Lee is (or has been), but not that much more.

Let's be clear, though -- both Lee and Bradley are fine complementary offensive players.  The comparison is not meant to be negative. It's just that Bradley's primary value is and always will be on the defensive end.

  In what way is Courtney Lee a consistent player on offense?

[BballTim]

Just gotta say how much I love watching this kid play defense ... today's horrendous offensive showing by the C's was thankfully offset a bit by how well they played defense, (though you've still got to get the ball in the basket to win games).

But Avery in particular and the fits he caused Westbrook was just a joy to watch, and it seems to get better game-after-game. I honestly haven't had so much fun watching a young Celtic player in a long time, and he takes such pride in knowing that he's acquiring this defensive reputation across the league.

Even better than what he's doing individually, though, is the effect he's having on the rest of the team ... it's clear that they all want to emulate his energy and work on the defensive end, and since he's been back the defensive skills of many others on the team have improved.

At the very least this team will continue to improve defensively, and that should increase our fast-break opportunities and offensive pressure, (although there's always going to be bad shooting days like today). This kid is just plain awesome and exciting to watch, and if we hang onto him long-term, I see a lot of good things for the future.

No young player on this team defines more what Celtic Pride is all about, and it's exciting to think that he's only going to get better. Yes, this guy is becoming a defensive monster, and I feel very secure saying that. Sweet stuff, Avery ... keep it up!

  I think his effect on the other players is a little overstated but his defense has been great, along the lines of Iggy a couple of years ago.

How do you see it as "overstated"? I certainly haven't overstated it here, but there has been a stark improvement in how this team has played since his return, (compared to before), especially at the defensive end.

  I thought the team's defense started playing better (although in fits and starts) in mid-December. It's come together better since he's been playing but it would have anyways. All the new players started making better rotations and learning the system and the bigs were getting to the point that the team's defense didn't fall off a cliff when KG came out of games.

[Bahku]

Just gotta say how much I love watching this kid play defense ... today's horrendous offensive showing by the C's was thankfully offset a bit by how well they played defense, (though you've still got to get the ball in the basket to win games).

But Avery in particular and the fits he caused Westbrook was just a joy to watch, and it seems to get better game-after-game. I honestly haven't had so much fun watching a young Celtic player in a long time, and he takes such pride in knowing that he's acquiring this defensive reputation across the league.

Even better than what he's doing individually, though, is the effect he's having on the rest of the team ... it's clear that they all want to emulate his energy and work on the defensive end, and since he's been back the defensive skills of many others on the team have improved.

At the very least this team will continue to improve defensively, and that should increase our fast-break opportunities and offensive pressure, (although there's always going to be bad shooting days like today). This kid is just plain awesome and exciting to watch, and if we hang onto him long-term, I see a lot of good things for the future.

No young player on this team defines more what Celtic Pride is all about, and it's exciting to think that he's only going to get better. Yes, this guy is becoming a defensive monster, and I feel very secure saying that. Sweet stuff, Avery ... keep it up!

  I think his effect on the other players is a little overstated but his defense has been great, along the lines of Iggy a couple of years ago.

How do you see it as "overstated"? I certainly haven't overstated it here, but there has been a stark improvement in how this team has played since his return, (compared to before), especially at the defensive end.

  I thought the team's defense started playing better (although in fits and starts) in mid-December. It's come together better since he's been playing but it would have anyways. All the new players started making better rotations and learning the system and the bigs were getting to the point that the team's defense didn't fall off a cliff when KG came out of games.

Yeah, they were certainly getting more chemistry the deeper we went into the season, but their energy was still lacking, especially on the defensive side of the floor.

His addition brought such an injection of energy and intensity that was lacking up to that point, IMO, and his pressure on the ball was contagious.

I definitely know what you're saying as I saw that, too, but I don't think his importance to the change in this team has been overstated at all ... at least not by me, (yet).

[nickagneta]

Just gotta say how much I love watching this kid play defense ... today's horrendous offensive showing by the C's was thankfully offset a bit by how well they played defense, (though you've still got to get the ball in the basket to win games).

But Avery in particular and the fits he caused Westbrook was just a joy to watch, and it seems to get better game-after-game. I honestly haven't had so much fun watching a young Celtic player in a long time, and he takes such pride in knowing that he's acquiring this defensive reputation across the league.

Even better than what he's doing individually, though, is the effect he's having on the rest of the team ... it's clear that they all want to emulate his energy and work on the defensive end, and since he's been back the defensive skills of many others on the team have improved.

At the very least this team will continue to improve defensively, and that should increase our fast-break opportunities and offensive pressure, (although there's always going to be bad shooting days like today). This kid is just plain awesome and exciting to watch, and if we hang onto him long-term, I see a lot of good things for the future.

No young player on this team defines more what Celtic Pride is all about, and it's exciting to think that he's only going to get better. Yes, this guy is becoming a defensive monster, and I feel very secure saying that. Sweet stuff, Avery ... keep it up!

  I think his effect on the other players is a little overstated but his defense has been great, along the lines of Iggy a couple of years ago.

How do you see it as "overstated"? I certainly haven't overstated it here, but there has been a stark improvement in how this team has played since his return, (compared to before), especially at the defensive end.

  I thought the team's defense started playing better (although in fits and starts) in mid-December. It's come together better since he's been playing but it would have anyways. All the new players started making better rotations and learning the system and the bigs were getting to the point that the team's defense didn't fall off a cliff when KG came out of games.

That very last part, I think, is more important to this team's turnaround than Rondo not being in the lineup or Bradley returning. Once this team's defense got as good with KG off the floor as when he was on it, the defense clicked and this team started winning. Saw a stat that the +/- stats for KG on/off the court are now turned around to the point where the C's defense has been better when KG sits. I think I read that on ESPN in one of their recent Celtic articles though I never verified the claim in the article.

[ejk3489]

Just gotta say how much I love watching this kid play defense ... today's horrendous offensive showing by the C's was thankfully offset a bit by how well they played defense, (though you've still got to get the ball in the basket to win games).

But Avery in particular and the fits he caused Westbrook was just a joy to watch, and it seems to get better game-after-game. I honestly haven't had so much fun watching a young Celtic player in a long time, and he takes such pride in knowing that he's acquiring this defensive reputation across the league.

Even better than what he's doing individually, though, is the effect he's having on the rest of the team ... it's clear that they all want to emulate his energy and work on the defensive end, and since he's been back the defensive skills of many others on the team have improved.

At the very least this team will continue to improve defensively, and that should increase our fast-break opportunities and offensive pressure, (although there's always going to be bad shooting days like today). This kid is just plain awesome and exciting to watch, and if we hang onto him long-term, I see a lot of good things for the future.

No young player on this team defines more what Celtic Pride is all about, and it's exciting to think that he's only going to get better. Yes, this guy is becoming a defensive monster, and I feel very secure saying that. Sweet stuff, Avery ... keep it up!

  I think his effect on the other players is a little overstated but his defense has been great, along the lines of Iggy a couple of years ago.

How do you see it as "overstated"? I certainly haven't overstated it here, but there has been a stark improvement in how this team has played since his return, (compared to before), especially at the defensive end.

  I thought the team's defense started playing better (although in fits and starts) in mid-December. It's come together better since he's been playing but it would have anyways. All the new players started making better rotations and learning the system and the bigs were getting to the point that the team's defense didn't fall off a cliff when KG came out of games.

That very last part, I think, is more important to this team's turnaround than Rondo not being in the lineup or Bradley returning. Once this team's defense got as good with KG off the floor as when he was on it, the defense clicked and this team started winning. Saw a stat that the +/- stats for KG on/off the court are now turned around to the point where the C's defense has been better when KG sits. I think I read that on ESPN in one of their recent Celtic articles though I never verified the claim in the article.

Yeah, for the first two months of the season the defensive rating with KG on the court was 95.9, while off the court it jumped to 101.7. 

Since January 1st, the defensive rating with KG on the court is 96.9, while off the court it's 96.2. So the defense more or less stays the same now without Garnett on the floor...much better than the complete collapse that would usually happen when he went to the bench.


BTW my numbers come from nba.com's advanced stat section (which was previously only available to league/team personnel and the media) if anyone wants to check for themselves...they have some really great stuff if you're into stats.

http://stats.nba.com/teamOnOffSummary.html?TeamID=1610612738&Season=2012-13

[KGs Knee]

Avery Island!

Woah, Skippy & Stevie giving AB his proper due.  Stevie even went so far as to say Bradley scares him, as a defender.  Both were very impressed with the job Bradley did on Westbrook yesterday.

Kid is arriving!

[Snakehead]

Avery Island!

Woah, Skippy & Stevie giving AB his proper due.  Stevie even went so far as to say Bradley scares him, as a defender.  Both were very impressed with the job Bradley did on Westbrook yesterday.

Kid is arriving!

I was afraid he wouldn't get his due but now I'm actually getting my hopes up for first team All-NBA Defensive.