Does Avery Bradley deserve All-Star consideration?
The Boston Celtics deserve to have at least one player from their roster make the All-Star team this season. Their defense is tremendous, and they're as competitive as anybody in the Eastern Conference.
But who, if anyone, will make it? Isaiah Thomas is the most obvious candidate, but what about Avery Bradley? Here's more on the 25-year-old's breakout season, courtesy of ESPN Boston:
Along with tremendous individual on-ball defense, Bradley is shooting 44.2 percent from behind the three-point line (on an incredible 5.8 shots per game). That's the best of his career, by far.
Unless Boston goes on a crazy winning streak, it's unlikely they get two All-Stars. But a spotlight needs to shine on Bradley's play so far this season. He's been a force of nature more often than not.
The jumbled East might make it tough for Boston players to earn All-Star consideration, and Thomas is probably the most likely to earn a February trip to Toronto. That said, there's a case to be made for Bradley, who has been excellent since returning from a leg injury in early November. Over Boston's past 12 games, Bradley is averaging 19.3 points per game on 50.3 percent shooting overall, including 48.1 percent beyond the 3-point arc. Bradley's net rating in that 12-game span is plus-10.8 points per 100 possessions, the best on the team in that span. It's easy to forget that Bradley, Boston's longest-tenured player, is still only 25 years old and continues to develop his game.
