National Basketball Association

Boston Celtics: Avery Bradley Is On His Way To Being Elite

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

foxsports

Thus far, Avery Bradley has been a star for the Celtics, but can he keep it up?

Avery Bradley is turning into a crowd favorite. He plays with tenacity, energy, fearlessness, and above all heart. Night in and night out, he matches up with the opposing teams best guard.

However, is he capable of turning into an elite shooting guard in the NBA?

The Boston Celtics have only played 9 games, and Avery Bradley is having a career year. Coming into this season, Bradley averaged 11.6 points, 1.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds. While those numbers look like the numbers of a traditional “three-and-d” player, Bradley has proved he is much more. After 9 games played this season, Bradley is averaging 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.

[via Bleacher Report]

“Avery Bradley might be on of the most underrated players in the league” – Mike Malone, Denver Nuggets Head Coach.

While he just might be one of the most underrated players in the league, where does rank in terms of shooting guards in the NBA? Defensively he is one of the best there is, as he earned his spot on the NBA All-Defensive First team last season.

Offensively, he has proven that he can score the ball and do so efficiently.

Bradley’s Game Is Evolving

Not only has Bradley’s scoring gone up tremendously, but his three-point shooting has drastically improved. Bradley shot 36.1 percent from three-point range last year, and this year he is shooting 42.1 percent (36th best in the NBA).

Another eye-popping statistic is Bradley’s rebounding. After 9 games, Bradley is 2nd amongst guards in rebounding with 8.1 per game (26th best in the NBA), trailing only Russell Westbrook. While playing the shooting guard position, Bradley is averaging more rebounds than LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, Taj Gibson, and Zach Randolph just to name a few.

Avery Bradley has transformed from one of the best defensive guards in the league to one of the best two-way guards.

Although Bradley still has far to go before we can consider him a top 5 shooting guard in the league. At age 25, he is making the right strides to get there. With a team that plays with grit and tenacity, Avery Bradley is the epitome of the Boston Celtics.