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Boston Celtics: Time for Avery Bradley to End Disappearing Act

By Jeremy Gottlieb

Feb 20, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) takes a shot over Sacramento Kings forward Derrick Williams (13) during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Boston Celtics 109-101. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) takes a shot over Sacramento Kings forward Derrick Williams (13) during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Boston Celtics 109-101. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Lost among the good vibes of Wednesday’s rousing opening night win for the Boston Celtics was the disappearance of Avery Bradley.

Bradley, now the longest-tenured Celtic at the ripe old age of 24, played 33 minutes, most of anyone on the roster, in the 112-95 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers. But he managed just four points on 2-of-6 shooting, to go along with two assists, two steals and a rebound. He attempted just one 3-pointer after emphasizing how important it was to stop shooting so many long twos over the summer, and did not take a single one of Boston’s 27 free throw attempts.

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Bradley’s enigmatic play isn’t as frustrating as that of, say, Jared Sullinger. But given the organization’s love for him, one wonders when he will step up and play with more consistency.

His fast break finish on the heels of a second-half Isaiah Thomas steal lit up the TD Garden crowd. But his tentativeness on offense can be a problem and all the talk in the world about committing to shooting the 3-ball at a 40 percent clip is meaningless if he keeps pulling up for 18-footer after 18-footer.

Whether you think Bradley has lived up to his reputation as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders or find him overrated on D, the bottom line is that it’s still difficult to predict what the Celtics are going to get out of him at either end on a night to night basis.

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There were some mitigating factors on Wednesday night. After a rough start, Thomas took the game over and scored 27 points on 19 field goal attempts in 29 minutes off the bench. Thomas will get more shots than anyone else on the roster in most games and that means less looks from outside not just for Bradley but for Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk when he returns from suspension. But Bradley must make more of his time on the floor.

Despite posting that team-high minutes total, Bradley’s 10.3 percent usage rate in this game was the lowest on the team by a long way (Smart at 14 percent and Crowder at 15.9 percent were the next lowest totals by players who played comparable minutes). That’s not good.

The Celtics signed Bradley to a four-year, $32 million deal prior to last season, a contract that felt like too much at the time but is now mostly average when considering the coming salary cap boom. Then, at the trade deadline, Danny Ainge reportedly turned down multiple offers for him. The Celtics are as committed to him as they are to any player on the roster.

It’s time to start paying back that faith. The Celtics’ loyalty to a guy who shoots 42 percent, was completely invisible in the first two games of last year’s playoff series against Cleveland and is not the defensive force many think he is as proven by multiple advanced stats (a 107 defensive rating and -0.9 defensive box plus/minus in 2014-2015 aren’t exactly rising endorsements) feels misplaced.

We’re only one game into a new season but it isn’t easy to shake the feeling that Bradley may be misplaced too.

Next: Boston Celtics: A Few Takeaways From Season Opener

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