Was Avery Bradley's big game a fluke or a sign of things to come?
Celtics guard Avery Bradley had himself quite a game against the Hornets Saturday night, accumulating 30 points on 19 shots (including eight made threes), 11 boards, and four assists. This is only the third time he has ever surpassed the 30-point threshold, and his 11 rebounds and eight threes were both career highs. Most would agree that this was the best game of his six-plus years in Boston:
31-11-4 for Avery Bradley. 8-11 from 3. Career highs in REB & 3PT, only 3rd time he's ever scored 30. Best game of his career. @CelticsLife— Mark Van Deusen (@LucidSportsFan) October 30, 2016
Bradley shot an impressive 58% from the field and 73% from three, which made for a very efficient night:
Avery Bradley hit a career-high 8 3-pointers, 1 shy of tying the @Celtics’ single-game record (done by Antoine Walker, twice) pic.twitter.com/CK1OvXAadC— ESPNBoston (@ESPNBoston) October 30, 2016
This performance was enough to become just the second Celtics player to finish with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and eight threes in one game:
My man Dick Lipe on top of the notes. Bradley joins Antoine Walker only #Celtics to ever have 30+ pts, 10+ rebounds and 8+ 3’s #CelticsTalk— Kyle Draper (@KyleDraperTV) October 30, 2016
Can Bradley keep this going all season to the point where he emerges as an All-Star? Was this career-best game a fluke or a sign of what Bradley is capable of on a nightly basis?
Obviously AB isn't going to average anywhere close to 30/10/5 like he did against Charlotte, but I think what he has done through the first three games of the season (21.3 pts/8.7 rebs/4.7 asts) can be maintained in the long run. Bradley himself agrees with this, noting his desire to effect the game in more ways other than his great defense and solid shooting:
Avery Bradley said he understood he could do more as a playmaker and rebounder: "And that’s what I’m going to be doing this entire year."— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 30, 2016
Why is Avery Bradley rebounding at such a high level? He says he realized he could do more to help his team win, and now he's doing it.— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 30, 2016
His new mentality that he can and will produce more for the team this year hasn't just been a theory- he has backed it up in every game. In the season opener, Bradley corralled a team-high nine boards to go along with five dimes. The next night, he chipped in with six rebounds and five assists against the Bulls. And then he followed that up with this explosion of a game. After these outings, he currently stands as Boston's leading rebounder.
Three games isn't a great sample size to use in assuming what the rest of the season will look like, but Bradley's increasing impact on the court has been undeniable and appears to be permanent. Could an All-Star appearance be obtainable for Bradley this year? What would his nightly contributions have to look like to make this happen?
Follow Erik Johnson on Twitter: @erikjohnson32
Photo by NBA.com
