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BOSTON – Avery Bradley has a reputation for taking mostly 3-pointers and jump shots off of passes or handoffs.
That reputation is quickly changing.
Bradley has shown early on this season that he has developed a potentially deadly off-the-dribble game. He is making plays – impressive plays – off of the dribble at a higher rate than ever before, and in turn, Bradley is becoming an all-around threat at the offensive end of the court.
Nearly 39.0 percent of Bradley’s offensive possessions have ended with a shot off the dribble this season. That number is important, but even more important is how, exactly, he’s getting those shots off.
Below, we’ve broken down six of Bradley’s shots this season. The first clip is a shot that he has become known for around the league. The final handful of clips detail off-the-dribble scores that showcase Bradley’s growth as an offensive weapon.
Play 1 – Jumper Off a Dribble-Handoff
This has become Bradley’s signature play. Boston runs it for him on the regular, and he has cashed in on it on the regular. Bradley comes off of a big man’s screen for a dribble-handoff and loses his defender by curling tight off of the pick. One dribble and a split-second later, Bradley fires off a shot that he regularly connects on. Bradley shot an impressive 44.0 percent on deep-midrange jumpers from the top of the key and wings last season, which ranked above the league average, and most of those shots came off of plays like this. The area from which he attempts this particular shot, the top of the key, was his sweet spot last season. He connected on 46.7 percent of his 122 attempts from that area.
Play 2 – Pin-Down, Pump Fake, Dribble and Fire
This is one of the most advanced scores Bradley has created during his NBA career. Not only did he connect on a clutch 3 that gave his team a chance at a win in Indiana, but he did so with grace, a high basketball IQ and confidence. It was as if he had done it a million times before.
Bradley comes off of a pin-down screen by David Lee, which is a standard action that Boston runs for the shooting guard. He comes off of the screen and catches a pass behind the 3-point line from Jae Crowder. The play is designed for him to shoot it now, and he typically would. However, Bradley understands that his reputation is to take the shot now, and he understands that his defender knows this. So he throws a beautiful pump fake that throws his defender, Rodney Stuckey, off balance. Bradley then takes one dribble to his left, staying behind the 3-point arc, and quickly fires off a 3 from the left wing that splashes through the net.
That’s a gorgeous play with a high level of difficulty, and Bradley made it look easy.
Play 3 – Layup Off Pick-and-Roll Drive
Bradley takes the ball down the court and displays patience at the top of the 3-point line. He waits for Lee to set a screen and uses a crossover to free himself from Danny Green. As Bradley comes off the screen, he has an open shot – the shot he’s known for. But he reads that Tim Duncan is anticipating that well-known shot, so Bradley makes a second move. Bradley throws a hesitation and blows past Duncan and a help defender, Kawhi Leonard, for an easy driving layup. Oh, and he embarrassed Duncan by making the 7-footer fall to the floor on his backside.
How many times did Bradley drive to his left for a layup last season? Twice, for zero points, according to Synergy. He’s already way ahead of that pace this season and we’re only four games in.
Play 4 – Penetrate Off Pick-and-Pop, Step-Back Jumper
If you can remember another time you’ve seen this from Bradley, you deserve a medal. This is rare, at best. Bradley comes off a pick-and-pop with Jared Sullinger and goes to his left. He sees 39-year-old Tim Duncan ‘icing’ toward the sideline and knows he can get away from the two-time MVP. He does exactly that by crossing over to his right and taking it toward the paint. The next part is a bit unscripted. Bradley’s handle is a bit loose on this play, drifting away from the basket and to his right, so he goes with it. He follows the ball and steps back behind the free-throw line, squares up to the hoop, and cans a smooth jumper.
Play 5 – Crossover Blow-By for Floater/Runner
Here’s another play that’s almost unheard of from Bradley. He crosses up Manu Ginobili on the right wing and blows past him along the baseline. That move was legit in and of itself, but the rest of the play was even better. Bradley sees Patty Mills crashing down to the block for help defense, and behind him is 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge, who may have been able to block a layup attempt. So what does Bradley do? He pulls up for a floater from outside the paint and sinks it. Want to know how many times Bradley attempted a floater last season? Zero, according to Synergy. That’s growth.
Play 6 – Catch, Drive and Slam
Save the best for last, right? This play was so great that it was broadcasted across the country. Isaiah Thomas hits Bradley with a drive-and-kick pass on the left wing. Leonard, who recovers from helping on Thomas’ drive, closes out hard on Bradley because he respects Bradley's 3-point shooting ability. Bradley realizes this and takes the ball off of the dribble in the direction from which Leonard is traveling. Typically, Bradley would pull up for a jumper from the left elbow on this play, but instead, he continues his drive. He sees the lane open wide up and flies toward the basket in fifth gear, taking off from about 10 feet away from the basket for a monstrous slam in the face of a trio of Spurs defenders. This might be the highlight moment of Bradley’s six-year career.
Clearly, Bradley is making plays that he has never made before. He isn’t a two-shot player anymore. In his sixth NBA season, he’s showing that his offensive game is still developing and that he is capable of scoring in a wide variety of ways.