Boston Celtics: Avery Bradley set to return to Boston
Monday night, the Boston Celtics will square off against the Detroit Pistons. A player to watch will be Avery Bradley, as he will be making his first appearance back in Boston since the trade.
Avery Bradley was drafted in the first round with the 19th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
After spending seven good seasons with the team, he was traded this offseason to the Detroit Pistons. It was a trade in which Boston sent away Bradley and a second round pick for Marcus Morris.
Bradley was one of Boston’s main players on their roster – being able to score and play great defense.
Here is a look at what he was able to do in his time with Boston:
| Season | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | .343 | .000 | .500 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.7 |
| 2011-12 | .498 | .407 | .795 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 7.6 |
| 2012-13 | .402 | .317 | .755 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 9.2 |
| 2013-14 | .438 | .395 | .804 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 14.9 |
| 2014-15 | .429 | .352 | .790 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 13.9 |
| 2015-16 | .447 | .361 | .780 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 15.2 |
| 2016-17 | .463 | .390 | .731 | 6.1 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 16.3 |
| 2017-18 | .441 | .425 | .800 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 2.8 | 16.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/27/2017.
Every year he was able to get better, which is why it seemed rather odd to get rid of him and a second round pick for Morris. However, the Celtics had to clear cap room if they wanted to sign Gordon Hayward, which is why Bradley was shown the door.
In any event, with Bradley still being young and playing really good basketball for the Pistons, he’ll be making his first appearance back in Boston since the trade.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reported Bradley’s comments prior to Monday’s game. Bradley had this to say:
"“I understand what they did. I have no hard feelings at all. I ended up with a great situation and a great organization so I’m happy and they’re playing well.”"
It will be a good matchup Monday night, as both teams are excelling to start the season. As of now, Boston is in first place in the Eastern Conference with an 18-3 record. Detroit is sitting right behind them in second place, with a 12-6 record.
Next: 2017-18 Week 6 NBA Power Rankings
With the return of Bradley to Boston and the top two Eastern teams squaring off, this one will be nothing short of great.