Avery Bradley will try to play against the Pistons tonight



According to Comcast SportsNet New England, Avery Bradley will try to participate in today's shootaround before the game against the Detroit Pistons, and subsequently see if he will be able to play through the pain of his rib injury that he sustained against the Hornets.

Avery Bradley's status for tonight's game against Detroit is still up in the air, though the 6-foot-2 guard planned to participate in the team's morning shootaround.

To what extent was unclear.

One thing is clear: He's going to do whatever he can to get back on the floor, possibly as early as tonight.

Doc Rivers says it's Avery's call on whether he plays or not today, depending on his pain tolerance, but it's doubtful. Doc also addressed Bradley's tendency to get injured, and seems to attribute it to the aggressive way he plays the game:

"I think it's really Avery's call," said coach Doc Rivers. "It's a pain-tolerance thing. And that's a very painful injury. My guess is he's not playing, but he's going to try to work out today."

"He'll probably be a guy that's injured. He'll miss some games but he'll get better at it and play a lot of games. He'll miss a couple games a year. But you want him to play the way he plays. That's what makes him effective." 

Bradley said he's still sore, and hopes to be able to better protect himself in the future to prevent injuries.

"It's still a little sore," Bradley said prior to this morning's shootaround. "I'll find out closer to the game if I'm going to play tonight or not."

"I feel as I get older I'll be able to pick my spots; be able to protect myself more so I don't get injured as much."
 Jason Terry thinks Bradley could help prevent a lot of his injuries by wearing padding and protective gear:

"For him, he just has to play with padding, like [Rajon] Rondo," Terry said. "Ribs, shins, elbows, sleeves . . . because that's his game, going all-out. I think he should make that adjustment before he does anything else. But don't change your game; play the same way."

We will find out closer to game time if Bradley will be able to play tonight, but my guess is that he will sit to give his ribs a little more time to heal.