Celtics’ Avery Bradley earns All-Defense Honors
By Adam London
On Wednesday, the NBA announced the first team all defense squad. Most of the selections were of no surprise to basketball fans. Reigning defensive player of the year Kawhi Leonard was a unanimous vote, and was joined by fellow defensive mavens in Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and Draymond Green. However, there was one surprise player, the Celtic’s very own Avery Bradley.
While Bradley has been the defensive leader for the green the last few seasons, this is the first time he has been voted onto the first team all defensive team. In fact, not only was he was elected to the team, he was the leading vote getter amongst guards and finished with the third-highest point total overall, only behind Leonard and Green. Though he is still only 25 years of age, Bradley is garnering league-wide respect as one of the best perimeter defenders in the game.
The honor was no surprise to head coach Brad Stevens, who spoke fondly about his young guard on the SiriusXM Radio show “Off the Dribble” earlier this month.
"“In my eyes, the entire time I’ve been here, but really this year, he stood out to me as first team all-defensive guy,” Stevens said. “He’s so good at putting pressure on the basketball. And he’s gotten really good at defending both on the ball, which he’s always been great at, but then off the ball, navigating screens and making it difficult for guys to get the position they want. He had multiple games where we switched him onto big 3s, who tried to post him at the end of games, and he kept them from getting what they wanted. He’s really a good defender.”"
While all Celtic’s fans have known about Bradley’s defensive capabilities since he stepped foot in the league, I don’t think anyone saw him becoming the well-rounded player that he is today. Early on, his offensive skill set was very raw and he was timid in his decision-making. In his first season as a legitimate role player in 2011, he only attempted a mere 6.3 shots per game and averaged 7.6 points. This past season, those numbers have jumped all the way up to 13.4 shots per game and an average of 15.2 points.
Bradley’s impact on this Celtic’s team showcased itself glaringly during the playoff series against the Hawks. Late in Game 1 of the series, he went down with a hamstring injury and was sidelined for the rest of the postseason. As a huge part of their defensive presence and one of their go-to scorers, the injury was a sizeable blow to the team who were defeated in the series in six games.
It should also be noted that a few of Bradley’s teammates made some noise in the all-defensive team voting. Jae Crowder narrowly missed a spot on the second team, missing the honor by one single vote. Second-year man Marcus Smart also garnered some attention earning two first place votes. With Bradley as the centerpiece, it is becoming apparent that this Celtic’s team is one of the stronger defensive units in the NBA.
It’s safe to say that the 2015-16 campaign was a coming out party for the Texas product, who has come a long way since being drafted 19th overall in 2010. Then, he was simply an end of the bench player used sparingly amidst the great seasons contrived by the Big 3 of Garnett, Pierce and Allen. Now, he is one of the faces of the franchise and a force to reckon with on both ends of the floor.