The Abnormal Case Of Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley is important to the Boston Celtics, but he contributes in ways you might not have guessed. Stats do not tell the whole story.

When you first hear the name of Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley, you probably think “lockdown defender” or “persistent rebounder.”

Some may even revel in his prolific mid-range game. Whichever way you want to see it, Bradley is as important to the Celtics as the Bald Eagle Smart Shaver is to Adam Silver.

First off, stats are borderline useless. If you want a summary of a game, season or career, I get it. Stats are the bee’s knees. But when it comes down to the narrative of the game, the eyeball test is still the best way to go.

When Bradley is on the court, he is composed and adds consistency to the defense. The defensive effort Bradley brings on a nightly basis translates to his impressive rebounding stats, but diving deeper reveals a problem. This is where things start to get a little funky.

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Cause That Makes Sense

On the court, Bradley brings down the total rebounding percentage for the entire team by 3.9 percent. Usually this would deem a player as a liability to any team that struggles to rebound.

Boston Celtics

On the other hand, without Bradley, Boston’s assist, steal and block percentages all go down significantly, the most important being the 7 percent drop in assist percentage when Bradley is not on the floor. This is another reason why stats can cause confusion.

I would find it hard to believe that one of the best rebounding guards in the league makes his team worse at rebounding. Either way, the positives when it comes to defensive production and generating offense outweigh the rebounding statistic.

However, the Celtics did win more efficiently without Bradley–16-8 without him, 29-18 with him in the rotation. Another reason why Bradley is a detriment to his team, according to the stats.

As strange as it may be that statistics reveal Bradley hurts the Celtics when it comes to rebounding, his defense is still irreplaceable.

In the 17 games after his Achilles flare up, Jan. 18-Feb. 26, the Celtics’ opponents shot 46 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range, both averages higher than the spans where Bradley was in the starting lineup.

Now that he’s back, opponent’s three-point percentage dropped to 30 percent on 44 percent shooting overall. Not only did Bradley affect opposing team’s scoring, but when he played both the Celtics and their opponents scored a full four points less per game.

Wait … So Does He Help Or Not?

It’s clear Bradley provides stable defense, including his rebounding effort that puts him among the top three when it comes to guards. He averaged seven rebounds a game until his Achilles injury in late December.

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Until that point, the Celtics were 21-15 despite Jae Crowder and Al Horford dealing with minor injuries. Before Bradley went down with an injury, the Celtics had been out-rebounded by around four total rebounds a game.

Compare that average to when Bradley returned to the starting lineup after the All-Star break. Boston has out-rebounded opponents in the 14-game span. Granted by a very slim margin, but nonetheless a feat they have not been able to do all season.

While some teams have weaknesses, the Celtics have managed to turn theirs into one of their stronger suits while also creating a game plan that fits perfectly with Bradley’s relentless style of play.

While the overall impact Bradley may have on the game varies, the stats miss one major concept–the actual individual characteristics of Avery Bradley. The stats will not be able to tell you about Bradley’s mid-range pull-up or his excellent spacing.

They won’t tell you that opponents struggle to break free from Bradley’s shutdown defense. There are stats for about every category and not a single stat can capture the hushed ferocity that Avery Bradley bring into every game.

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The Celtics may look forceful on paper without him, but Avery Bradley is the X-factor no amount of number crunching can account for.