Avery Bradley's new commitment to film study helping Boston Celtics

Avery Bradley's new commitment to film study helping Boston Celtics




Phoenix Suns' Archie Goodwin, left, backs down Boston Celtics' Avery Bradley (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 23, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Print Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on February 24, 2015 at 1:15 AM





PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Last season, eight hours before a game against the Orlando Magic, Avery Bradley revealed that he had not watched any tape on opposing guard Victor Oladipo. Despite knowing he would match up against Oladipo, Bradley seemed to take a laissez-faire approach.

He said the Celtics would watch film soon. Still, he sounded like he would not watch any by himself.

"It's easier for me (to adjust quickly) because I ask a lot of questions," he said. "I mean, I'll find out from somebody. It could be (head coach Brad Stevens or assistant coach Ron Adams), it could be my teammates, anybody."

The same scenario would not happen now. Looking to improve his help defense, Bradley said he has committed to studying every opponent. Over the three games since the All-Star break, he has averaged 4.3 steals per game, including a career-high six in Monday's win against the Phoenix Suns.

"I watch so much film," he said after the 115-110 victory, calling his new focus on game tape "a big difference."

"I always knew that I could really help my team out on one-on-one defense," Bradley explained. "But I wanted to become a better team defensive player. And I really feel like I'm improving because I watch film and I know where to pick my spots. It's helping me get steals as well."

Bradley's on-ball defense still provides the highlights -- like when he tapped away Eric Bledsoe's handle, then stripped him on the same possession; or, later, when he yanked the ball away from Bledsoe, then drilled a critical 3-pointer at the other end. But since Stevens took the job Boston, the Celtics coaching staff has been on Bradley to develop in other areas.

As the 24-year-old put it last season, "They want me to calm down a little bit more, not be so reckless, I guess you could say, on defense. They want me to be disciplined, pick my spots every now and then, pick up full-court but get back and play angles. They're just trying to make me into a great team defender, as well as an individual defender."

Since the break, Bradley has been locked in at the other end, too, averaging 23.7 points per game on 50 percent shooting, including 44.4 percent from behind the arc. Shooting percentages can rise and climb, but against Los Angeles, he knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force overtime. Against Phoenix, he unleashed the Bledsoe strip-and-swish at a pivotal juncture. Given all the big shots, solid defense and timely steals, we might be witnessing the best short, all-around stretch of Bradley's career.

"He's gotten a lot better at a lot of the little things that go fairly unnoticed in the game," head coach Brad Stevens said. "Defensively he's gotten way better, especially off the ball."



bob
MY NOTE:  Bradley didn't watch a lot of film before, when Doc was his coach, but now he's a preparation-through-film fanatic?  I'm calling this "The Stevens Effect".  Brad is all about preparation.  No wonder Bradley loves him, look at what has happened to his game since Stevens came here.


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The biggest difference I notice in Avery's offensive game is that it has become more consistent.  Previously, he'd be red hot and then ice cold.  He can cool off from time to time during games, as everybody can.  But previously, hitting a cold stretch could put him on the skids for the remainder of the game.  Lately, as soon as I note that he has missed a couple in a row, he's swishing a couple in a row.

I have criticized him for not being able to create his own shot.  And I still think that's true.  But what he does instead is to shoot so quickly that it has the same effect in terms of gaining space vs. defenders.  He's shooting threes well, but I believe his most dependable shot is the curl on the left side and the sudden stop and pop.  That play is an invitation to a miss; but, in Avery's hands, it's been lethal to the point of being a Celtics go-to play when the chips are down.

So congratulations to Avery for doing what so many guys on this team have been doing—finding ways to make himself better.  If he could somehow learn to stop giving away possessions by driving into traffic, I'd be a lot happier.  But he deserves a lot of credit for self-improvement, and I've already posted how I'm hoping that exposure to Isaiah Thomas will help him learn to finish better at the basket.

Sam

bob,

Great props for Stevens and his staff helping yet another of their players continue to get better and better.

Bradley is not the only guy who this staff has helped time and time again. They, with probably a variety of methods, know how to coach the skills of the game.

I am also sure that many players in the league have taken note of the Celtic players improvement, and that within the next two years there may be two or three young, quality guys come to Boston to get in on such improvements.

Think one of my all time peeves is watching a player go for a steal that he has absolutely no chance to get. Almost like running out to a shooter and jumping knowing you have NO chance to block the shot. And the ripple effect the missed steal causes usually ends up with a very good scoring opportunity for the offense. Picking your spots, knowing the opponents strengths, everyone on this team should be watching film.

beat

beat wrote:Think one of my all time peeves is watching a player go for a steal that he has absolutely no chance to get. Almost like running out to a shooter and jumping knowing you have NO chance to block the shot.  And the ripple effect the missed steal causes usually ends up with a very good scoring opportunity for the offense. Picking your spots, knowing the opponents strengths, everyone on this team should be watching film.

beat

beat,

Where's the damn 'like' button?


bob


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Bob

Granted we are talking HS but when Marcus played we had a very talented guard. But gosh he went for too many damn steals and thus put the back line under duress, some of these times Marcus would switch out to pick up the penetration only to leave his man open and of course his man got the ball and scored .............. then to hear the coach scream at Marcus. After this had happened a few times during a summer scrimmage and Fred the Coach was chewing his ass again, I waited till afterwards and confronted Fred. He took it very well actually cause I got on a pretty good role. The following season, Marcus's senior year, there was never an issue about Marcus but he went off on the other player a bit. And the team had a nice 18-2 season.

Running out to a shooter that is going to OBVIOUSLY get the shot off may look like a hustle play but in cold reality it is a waste of effort. Going out under control and then boxing him out serves a much greater purpose. Jump shooting teams don't beat you a lot but when those jump shots become layups you are in a ton of hurt. Only thing that I might consider is if that running out is heading to the your basket, then you might be putting the idea out, if he misses you could get an easy layup. But even then....I don't care for it but could live with that on occasion.

beat

Beat and Bob,

I agree with what you're saying, especially about steals, but I'll refine it a bit.

For steals, making a late lunge into a passing lane when you have no hope of getting a steal is bad defense. As you point out, you've just taken yourself out of the play, and it's now five on four. But sometimes it's a fine line, and it matters who you have behind you. If you've got a shotblocking big man who can erase your defensive mistakes, then you can take more chances. You don't have to have a Russell or Wilt, but their teammates commented often about how they could be much more aggressive going for steals knowing that the risk was much lower with the big guy behind them.

Having said that, I've seen what Beat described too many times to mention -- a late lunge that has no hope of actually getting a steal and achieves nothing other than making a show of false hustle that puts the player out of position. Those are dumb, maddening plays, whether you've got Bill Russell or Benny the Blob playing center.

As for closeouts on perimeter shooters, what I see most often is a complete lack of a fine point of fundamentals. Modern defenses require lots of rotations, and we've all seen a defender realize he has to run to cover someone who just got the ball at the three-point line. The defender runs at the shooter, and the shooter either takes the shot and watches the defender run right by him, or the shooter does a simple ball fake, lets the defender run by, and then takes the now completely undefended shot.

The problem is that, the vast majority of the time, the defender doesn't close out properly. You're supposed to do it so that you arrive at the defender in a series of short stutter steps so that you end up in control in front of the shooter.



Most of the time, players do a fly-by rather than close out properly, and fly-bys are like bad steal attempts -- they achieve nothing and take you out of the play.

Outside,

Do you think the Celtics could sign Benny the Blob to a 10-day contract?

Sam

Sure. Sign him up.

Wow, try to move him out of the way.  He could play center for the Celtics and defensive tackle for the Patriots.......simultaneously.

Sam

sam wrote:Wow, try to move him out of the way.  He could play center for the Celtics and defensive tackle for the Patriots.......simultaneously.

Sam

Sam games are only 48 minutes........... and quarters are only 12.............. which end of the court do you put him at cause he'll never make it to the other.

beat

Beat, I think I'd put him at mid-court.  It would slow down the opponent's fast break dramatically.

Oops, I forgot that it might not do good things for the Celtics' fast break.

Sam

The parquet flooring could not stand it.

Outside wrote:Beat and Bob,

I agree with what you're saying, especially about steals, but I'll refine it a bit.

For steals, making a late lunge into a passing lane when you have no hope of getting a steal is bad defense. As you point out, you've just taken yourself out of the play, and it's now five on four. But sometimes it's a fine line, and it matters who you have behind you. If you've got a shotblocking big man who can erase your defensive mistakes, then you can take more chances. You don't have to have a Russell or Wilt, but their teammates commented often about how they could be much more aggressive going for steals knowing that the risk was much lower with the big guy behind them.

Having said that, I've seen what Beat described too many times to mention -- a late lunge that has no hope of actually getting a steal and achieves nothing other than making a show of false hustle that puts the player out of position. Those are dumb, maddening plays, whether you've got Bill Russell or Benny the Blob playing center.

As for closeouts on perimeter shooters, what I see most often is a complete lack of a fine point of fundamentals. Modern defenses require lots of rotations, and we've all seen a defender realize he has to run to cover someone who just got the ball at the three-point line. The defender runs at the shooter, and the shooter either takes the shot and watches the defender run right by him, or the shooter does a simple ball fake, lets the defender run by, and then takes the now completely undefended shot.

The problem is that, the vast majority of the time, the defender doesn't close out properly. You're supposed to do it so that you arrive at the defender in a series of short stutter steps so that you end up in control in front of the shooter.



Most of the time, players do a fly-by rather than close out properly, and fly-bys are like bad steal attempts -- they achieve nothing and take you out of the play.

Outside,

Without using the exact terms, I'd say you just gave an excellent description of the value in fundamentals and timing in knowing when to jump out on a steal, and the importance of good help defense in making it possible.

Regards