Avery Bradley wants to shoot 40 percent from deep and emerge as one of the NBA's best shooters

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2015/10/boston_celtics_avery_bradley_w.html#incart_river



Boston Celtics' Avery Bradley wants to shoot 40 percent from deep and emerge as one of the NBA's best shooters



Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on October 26, 2015 at 8:15 PM





WALTHAM -- As Avery Bradley fires away at the basket, practicing his outside shot, it's very clear he does not waste time during his workouts. Every movement is designed to mimic game action, every shot is one he could take several times in a playoff contest.

Bradley does not mess around with his training. This season, the Boston Celtics guard said he is making 300 shots per day with a goal of raising his 3-point shooting to 40 percent.

"I want to be one of the better shooters in the NBA," he said after Monday's practice. "Not just on our team. I'm just going to continue to work on my 3-point shooting game, and all-around game, but that's my focus this year: I want to shoot like 40 percent from three, nothing less. I just have to continue to put that work in."

Is it a realistic goal? Sure. Just two seasons ago, Bradley knocked down 39.5 percent of his shots from behind the arc. He also hit 40.7 percent from that range in 2011-12, but that was while attempting only a fraction of the shots. His role in the offense has grown considerably over the years, and opponents now pay him a different level of attention.

"I think everywhere on the floor teams like to run me off (the line), because they know I'm taking those shots now," Bradley said. "I have to be smart about it and make the right play. Use pump fakes and step-backs, drive-and-kick, create for my teammates, that's my focus. I'm just out there playing basketball."

Regardless of whether Bradley can lift his long-ball accuracy from 35.2 percent, where he finished last season, he would benefit from taking more threes. Last season he finished second in the NBA in long 2-point attempts, a troubling stat considering that's the game's most inefficient shot.

One focus from the preseason has been shifting some of Bradley's long twos to behind the arc. He also wants to redirect some of his shots to the corners, where he shot 38.9 percent last season.

"Our focus has been running to the corners, opening up the floor for everybody," he said. "I'm just looking to take whatever shots are open."



bob
MY NOTE: 40% from 3 would be huge. Not just because that's a damn fine shooting percentage from there but because hitting outside shots opens up the middle for our bigs and cutters.


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