Avery Bradley had a disappointing, although short, start to his career as a member of the LA Clippers.
A product of the Blake Griffin trade, the 27-year-old shooting guard appeared in just six games last season, requiring a season-ending sports hernia surgery that kept him out of every game after the All-Star break. Before that, Bradley was averaging 9.2 points and 3.7 rebounds across nearly 28 minutes per game.
There’s no denying that Bradley left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans with his mediocre performances. After all, his scoring average was the lowest he’d posted since his third season in the league, and nearly six points lower than the 15 he had been averaging as a member of the Detroit Pistons earlier in the year.
His defense seemed a bit off, too, for what it’s worth. However, these things seem like things we can chalk up as side effects of his sports hernia. It’s likely that we never saw Bradley at full strength while he was suited up in LA Clippers gear.
That sour taste has almost completely turned sweet for fans who watched the Clippers dominate their preseason schedule earlier this month. Bradley looked more like his best for LA, with Doc Rivers specifically naming him among his group of players that he felt separated themselves from the pack.
Doc Rivers said the six separators on the roster thus far: Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Avery Bradley, Pat Beverley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lou Williams. He said all six are guaranteed rotation minutes heading into regular season.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 10, 2018
Bradley’s two strengths are clear: Defense and three-point shooting. Both looked immensely improved throughout the preseason. Here’s hoping that’s a trend that he can continue going into the regular season.