A Bright Spot: Avery Bradley Growing Up

It was easy to overlook the other night, but there was a lone bright spot in the loss to the Phoenix Suns. Avery Bradley, making his first start of his career, played pretty well in a difficult matchup. In fact, I remember thinking that it was a good idea to put a defensive pest on Steve Nash.

Green Street " Avery Bradley’s successful first NBA start

Bradley held Nash in check, allowing him to score only 11 points. But Nash buried a critical 3-pointer when Bradley pinched off him to help in the interior. "I learned not to gamble with him," Bradley said. Nash took notice of the young guard’s defensive prowess. "He did a good job," said Nash. "He hustled defensively and he made a few shots. He’s learning and he’s a young player. It’s a great learning experience for him."

Good for Avery. I had almost written him off this year when he started losing some playing time to rookie second rounder E'Twaun Moore. If Bradley can hit the occasional shot (enough to keep defenses somewhat honest) then his defense could be very valuable for us for years to come.