National Basketball Association

Boston Celtics: Can Avery Bradley Transform Into A Third Scoring Option?

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

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With the addition of Al Horford, the Boston Celtics are setup to be a major problem in 2016-17. Can Avery Bradley be the team’s third option, though?

Can Avery Bradley step up and be the Boston Celtics’ third leading scorer in 2016-17?

It’s ultimately going to come down to either him, or Jae Crowder. But the former appears to have a more well-rounded scoring arsenal.

And if the Boston Celtics plan on making some serious noise in the Eastern Conference, they’re going to need Bradley to be that third option that every good-to-great team has.

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Last season, Avery Bradley averaged 39.5 touches per game, and he scored 0.383 points per touch. When comparing that to Jae Crowder’s 48.7 touches per game, and the fact that he only scored 0.291 points per touch, you start to understand why Bradley is the better – or more efficient – scorer.

He didn’t get to play with the ball in his hands as much as Crowder, but despite that, he scored at a higher rate.

A big part of that is because of Avery Bradley’s offensive versatility.

Whether it be scoring from the midrange (a career 42 percent shooter on two-point attempts from beyond 16 feet), cutting to the basket (scored 1.50 points per possession) or hitting triples from behind the arc (shot 36.1 percent from three-point territory last year), Bradley has really grown offensively over the last two seasons.

Now that’s probably going to come as a shocker to hear from most fans that haven’t seen him play over the last couple of seasons. But you better believe it is a reality. Despite being known as a defensive specialist for most of his career, Bradley’s ever expanding offensive arsenal has become quite a surprise for Boston Celtics fans alike.

His 0.75 points per possession as the pick and roll ball-handler was fourth on the team. And the 0.83 points per possession he scored out of dribble handoffs was third on the team.

However, let’s not forget about Avery Bradley’s bread and butter as a basketball player, and that’s his relentless motor on the less glamorous end of the floor.

On the defensive end, Bradley is considered to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, because of his ability to hound opponents up and down the court. With the foot speed Bradley possesses, it allows him to stick to his opponents like glue.

He refuses to let the opposition dribble up and down the court effortlessly. That’s why his peers hate being guarded by him, because he doesn’t leave any you breathing room. Last season, he finished in the 81.5 percentile in isolation defense, and opponents only scored 0.70 points per possession.

A true two-way presence, Avery Bradley is going to be counted on to produce as the third leading scorer in Boston. Even though that’s going to be something new to him, he’s one of the few players on the Celtics that can create shots for themselves.

If the Boston Celtics expect to make a jump in 2016-17, they’re going to need Bradley to step up and assume the third option on the team. And that might mean averaging 16-18 points per game.

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