Is it time to give Avery Bradley a break?

Avery Bradley finally looks like he’s returning to his Boston form.

Over the last 5 games, Avery Bradley has averaged: 12.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, on 41%FG and 42% from three. Looking at each game, Bradley performed pretty decently in all of them, except a dud against Golden State. While the Clippers lost 3 out of the last 5 games, you can’t attribute those defeats to Bradley: the Dallas game down to the Clippers missing 19 straight field goals, Golden State outclassed the Clippers, and Utah blew out the Clippers. Here’s a visual screenshot of his last five performances.

Taking the clock back to Bradley’s last season with the Celtics, he put up pretty solid numbers: 16.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, on 46% FG and 39% from three. He may not put up the same numbers as he did in his peak, but he’s certainly been close in the last five games.

The biggest thing to remember is that Avery Bradley only played 46 games last season, missing nearly half the season. For some players, returning to form is a difficult task after missing so many games. Take a look at Patrick Beverley or Gordon Hayward’s numbers for example. Basketball is a very long season, filled with ups and downs; the Clippers very own roller coaster season is the perfect example of that.

Bradley’s resurgence isn’t limited to the offensive side — it extends to the defensive side as well. In the past 3 games, the shooting guards of opposing teams have averaged 30% (14/46) from the field. More impressive, the Clippers faced three pretty good shooting guards in DeMar DeRozan, Luka Doncic, and Josh Richardson. Here were some of their exact lines:

DeMar DeRozan: 4/16 FG, 4 turnovers, 8 points, and -14.
Luka Doncic: 5/15 FG, 0/7 3P, 3 turnovers, 17 points, and +2
Josh Richardson: 5/15 FG, 3/9 3P, 0 turnovers, 17 points, and -1

Being a two-way player is an incredibly tough task, especially in this modern era of basketball where defense is harder to play than ever. Bradley may have stumbled for a large portion of the season, but it seems like he’s finally back on track. If Avery keeps this up, it seems like it’s time to give him a break.