In just a short period of time, Avery Bradley has demonstrated he possesses all the traits to stick with the Miami Heat for the long term.
Before he made his debut, Avery Bradley already possessed many of the prerequisite traits necessary to thrive in the Miami Heat environment.
A fearless competitor at both ends of the floor, Bradley has proven to be a highly reliable contributor throughout his now 11 seasons in the league.
Upon arriving in Miami, Bradley’s ability to control the either opposition’s ball-handler and thus assist the Heat and their suspect point of attack defense, or a dangerous perimeter threat, were clearly some of the key reasons the front office decide to bring aboard the 2010 No. 19 overall pick.
And thus far, Bradley has certainly not disappointed. In his first game with the Heat, Bradley was thrown the task of guarding veteran sharpshooter JJ Redick. Entering the season, Bradley had a solid track record against Redick, holding him to 6-of-20 shooting in their previous meetings since records began in the 2017-18 season.
In this instance in 26 active possessions, Bradley held Redick to 1-of-6 shooting as the Heat recorded their first win of the season on Christmas Day over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bradley backed this up in the Heat’s second showing in two nights against the Milwaukee Bucks. Whereas the first matchup saw him facing a number of opponents, Bradley was inserted into the starting lineup to oppose All-Star swingman Khris Middleton.
In 25 possessions, Bradley held Middleton to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting as the Heat rebounded from their drubbing the night previous for a 119-108 win.
A two-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection which includes First Team status in 2016, these performances were not out of the ordinary for Bradley. However, it’s been his contributions at the offensive end of the floor that have been a pleasant surprise.
Erik Spoelstra says his perfect word for Avery Bradley, "tenacious."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 30, 2020
Entering the season, Bradley had averaged 11.8 points per game for his career, thus demonstrating he’d been a solid contributor at the offensive. But in his five appearances thus far for the Heat, its been his efficiency that has been most noteworthy. Playing 23.5 minutes per game, Bradley is averaging 13.0 points on a scorching 59.0 percent clip from the field, which includes an elite 52.2 percent return from long range on 4.6 attempts per game.
Given his affinity for playing off the ball, Bradley has made for a tremendous fit within the Heat offense, with the likes of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic handling much of the playmaking duties. In particular, Bradley has found himself to be incredibly efficient playing alongside Dragic, shooting at an incredible 72.2 percent clip, including 66.7 percent from 3-point range when sharing the floor with the Slovenian veteran.
Having both started and come off the bench in his brief time thus far with the Heat, Bradley’s clear ability to adapt quickly to a variety of roles is going to be crucial moving forward. But with head coach Erik Spoelstra looking to have finally found a solid rotation following their 118-90 annihilation of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bradley’s experience in a reserve role should be something that all Miami Heat followers can get behind for this season and beyond.