Regardless of the difficulties coach Doc Rivers will face thanks to having five worthy guards, Bradley is expected to help.
Avery Bradley is itching to return to the court.Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley tried desperately to play during the 2012 postseason despite two hurt shoulders, at least one of which had an annoying habit of popping viciously out of its socket.
It was obvious then how much he wanted to play basketball, how much he wanted to help his teammates.
It's not quite so obvious now with Bradley out of the lineup and his shoulders securely in place, but his desire to step back on the court remains intense.
“So hard,” he told the Boston Herald of not being able to play while still recovering from two offseason shoulder surgeries. “It’s to the point sometimes where I don’t want to sit on the bench. Even though I know my teammates need me and I want to be on the bench for them, for me it’s hard to sit there and watch the game.
“But it is what it is. I’ve just got to take my time and make sure I’m ready when I am healthy to help my team. That’s my main focus, but it definitely is hard. I know it would be hard for anybody to just sit there and watch when you know you could be helping.”
Once he returns, Bradley is expected to add an element of athleticism and fierce defense in Boston, much like he did last year after the All-Star break. Bradley said he is working on conditioning, ball-handling and shooting so "there's no drop-off from last year." He expects to be cleared for contact at the end of this month or the beginning of December, after which time he'll "start practicing and see how I feel."
The Celtics backcourt will be excessively crowded whenever Bradley heals. Point guard Rajon Rondo will play as many minutes as he can handle and teammates Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Leandro Barbosa are all used to big playing time. Head coach Doc Rivers will have to juggle minutes to maximize his deep roster and keep everyone happy.
Regardless of the difficulties Rivers will face thanks to having five worthy guards, Bradley is expected to help.
“Avery’s awful young, but he had a great year last year,” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Boston Herald. “Particularly in the last 40 games of the season, he was very, very big for us. He’s a very talented kid. But I don’t want to put too much pressure on him.
“You know, when things are going bad, it’s always easy to look at the guys who aren’t playing. Time will tell on Avery. I believe Avery’s a really good player, and I believe he can make our defense better and he’s also a good offensive player. So I think that we’re anxiously waiting for his return."