Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford situation getting more complex by the day
Avery Bradley always more known for his defensive ferocity as opposed to his offensive acumen has been an absolute juggernaut on the offensive end of the floor the last couple of weeks:
Over his past eight games -- a span in which Boston has posted a 5-3 mark -- he's proving it. Bradley is averaging 14.9 points on 49 percent shooting, including 58.6 percent (17-of-29) beyond the 3-point arc. Sprinkle in 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists, all while driving down his early-season turnover woes, and Bradley has been one of Boston's best two-way players in recent weeks, as evidenced in part by being plus-70 in plus/minus during that span.
These numbers are impressive in their own right but when you look at them from an advanced stats perspective they become even more astounding:
According to Synergy Sports data, Bradley is averaging 1.112 points per play over the past eight games (119 points on 107 possessions). To offer some perspective, of players with at least 350 total offensive possessions finished this season, LeBron James ranks tops in the NBA at 1.127 points per play overall. If Bradley maintained his recent production, he'd rank second in the NBA.
Second only to LeBron James in offensive efficiency? Considering LeBron's numbers this season are-59% from the field-42% from three point range-and Avery's only .015 points per play behind him as of late is truly mind blowing.
I reiterate that I think a lot of this improvement has to do with his time spent at the point guard position.
Although he struggled, he inevitably became more comfortable with the ball in his hands as evidenced by his ability to take people off the bounce for midrange jumpers.
A skill that becomes even more lethal if he continues to shoot the ball from deep the way he has been.
Forsberg continues:
Bradley has emerged as one of the league's most consistent midrange shooters, thriving when defenders sag on him in the pick-and-roll. He has found the stroke on his corner 3-pointer, a shot that helped him supplant Ray Allen in Boston's starting lineup two seasons ago.
If Bradley maintains his current level of play, people might actually start talking about his offense just as often as they reference his tenacious on-ball defense.
Still not sold? Consider this: During Bradley's 262 minutes of floor time over the past eight games, the Celtics own an offensive rating of 114.7 (highest on the team), and that number plummets to 89.3 in the 122 minutes he has been on the bench. Digest that for a moment: The Celtics' offense has been 25 points better per 100 possessions with Bradley on the court the past eight games.
And it's not like the team's defense is suffering. Boston's defensive rating with Bradley on the court in that same span is 98.3, or nearly a point below the team's average for those eight games (99.1).
Although, this is obviously great news for the Celtics and Avery in the short term the one caveat is it could further complicate negotiations this off season.
However, it's also great as a Celtic fan to be faced with this potential dilemma.
Follow Clint on Twitter @coolhandc
