Los Angeles Clippers: Early returns on Avery Bradley
The Los Angeles Clippers got Avery Bradley as part of the blockbuster Blake Griffin trade. The team held onto Bradley through the trade deadline, presumably with the playoffs in mind.
The Los Angeles Clippers shocked the NBA before the trade deadline when they shipped Blake Griffin out of town. While the move was almost certainly made with an eye to the future (and concerns about the final years of Griffin’s deal), the team did manage to net two starters in return for Blake.
One of those starters, Tobias Harris, was the main asset the Clippers received in return for Griffin. However, he was not the only one. While Avery Bradley might not have found his way into the starting lineup without a plethora of injuries, he has started every game since the trade.
Bradley’s contract status will be a talking point in the offseason. Indeed, his contract status makes the Clippers’ decision to hold onto Bradley through the trade deadline quite confusing. Bradley’s long-term status remains up in the air. In the meantime, he will play a sizable role in the team’s stretch run.
Defensive presence
Avery Bradley is mired in a down season offensively. However, the Los Angeles Clippers did not acquire him for his offensive talents. Bradley is one of the league’s premier lockdown defenders. Even though most of the advanced defensive numbers do not speak well of Bradley, his defensive performances during his recent playoff runs showcased his ability to lock down his opponents when the stakes are highest.
Bradley’s first six games in Los Angeles may be indicative of his role going forward. Bradley had attempted a career-high 14.3 shots per game with the Detroit Pistons. However, he is averaging fewer than 10 attempts per game thus far in Los Angeles. While this may be a small sample size issue, his shot volume from beyond the arc represents most of that decrease in field goal attempts. Bradley has only taken nine shots from beyond the arc in his first six games after averaging 4.9 attempts from deep per game in Detroit.
Bradley will hopefully boost his volume from beyond the arc in the games to come. As a career 36.6 percent shooter from deep, his long range shooting is strong enough that he could increase his efficiency by taking more of those shots. With that being said, the Clippers do not need him to space the floor as much as the Pistons did.
Future outlook
The Los Angeles Clippers managed to avoid one potential free agency pitfall when they inked Lou Williams to an extension at a solid price. However, the team still faces crucial questions in free agency. DeAndre Jordan is expected to opt out of the last year of his deal and test the market.
Avery Bradley’s contract is also set to expire at the end of this year. With that in mind, the Clippers might have been better served by looking to trade Bradley. A team higher up in the standings might have been willing to give up a future asset for Bradley.
The fact that the Clippers held onto Bradley may indicate that they could not find an acceptable deal. However, the decision to keep Bradley might also indicate that the Clippers expect to make a push for the playoffs. That idea would certainly fall in line with the team’s lack of moves beyond the Blake Griffin trade.
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If Bradley can start to put up more shots from deep while locking down elite guards who line up against him, he will be a valuable piece as the Clippers make a playoff push — and an even more valuable one if they get there.