Getty Avery Bradley #0 and Rajon Rondo #9 of the Boston Celtics.
On August 31, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report wrote an article detailing who was among the most overrated NBA players. Among the five players was former Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley. During his time with the Celtics, Bradley was regarded as one of the best defensive guards in the NBA, having been named to an NBA All-Defensive team twice in his career, but Bailey used that to prove his point about Bradley.
“Avery Bradley has two All-Defensive nods, and he probably deserves them. It’s tough to accurately measure impact on that end of the floor.
“But Bradley’s last All-Defensive selection came in 2016, and he’s seemingly been riding that reputation ever since. Throughout his career, his teams have generally surrendered more points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor.”
Bailey used other statistics besides defensive rating to prove his point about Bradley.
“Low block and rebound rates have contributed to Bradley’s below-average defensive box plus/minus. However, that number should be taken with a grain of salt… In combination with the aforementioned play-by-play data, it’s fair to at least use Bradley’s mark as that guide. And a slightly inflated value on defense isn’t the only point here.
“Bradley has had an above-average true shooting percentage exactly once in his career. That came in 2011-12, the season before the sample in question here.”
Bradley would go on to win a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2019-20 season, although he abstained from playing in the NBA Bubble out of precaution for his son’s health.
No other player with ties to the Celtics was mentioned in Bailey’s article.
Bradley’s Career Post-Boston
After playing for the Celtics from 2010 to 2017, Bradley was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris. Since then, Bradley hasn’t been able to stay on another team for longer than a season.
Bradley was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers before the trade deadline during the 2017-18 season, then was traded again mid-season to the Memphis Grizzlies the following year. Bradley then spent the entire 2019-20 season with the Lakers before joining the Miami Heat via free agency the following year. Miami would go on to trade Bradley to the Houston Rockets mid-season, where he would then go back to the Lakers for the 2021-22 season.
Bradley has remained a free agent throughout the 2022 offseason.
Boston’s Previous Interest in Bringing Bradley Back
At multiple points, the Celtics have reportedly had interest in bringing Bradley back on. On November 21, 2020, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that the Celtics were among the teams interested in signing Bradley before he chose the Heat.
“Bradley received interest from several teams on the market, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Hornets, league sources told HoopsHype.”
On August 2, 2021, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported that Bradley was among the former Celtics the team was interested in bringing back, including Jeff Green and Kelly Olynyk.
“Backcourt options include players such as Spurs veteran Patty Mills—who was also coached by Udoka—and former Celtics guard Avery Bradley, according to a league source.”
Bradley is a free agent, but there have been no reports that the Celtics are currently interested in a reunion. Outside of his brief tenure with the Grizzlies, where he averaged 16.1 points, four assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 14 games during the 2018-19 season, Bradley has not been able to replicate the same numbers he put up during his time with the Celtics.