Celtics’ Avery Bradley voted second-best perimeter defender by NBA GMs
He had been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the 2015-16 season.
Just months after landing on the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team for the 2015-16 season, Celtics guard Avery Bradley earned another measure of respect for his defensive prowess: The 6-foot-2 shooting guard was voted the second-best perimeter defender in the NBA.com 2016-17 GM survey released on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old received 16.7 percent of the overall vote from all 30 general managers polled in the category, finishing a distant second to top vote-getter Kawhi Leonard (66.7 percent). Bradley also tied for third in the best overall defender category with 6.7 percent of the vote.
Results from NBA.com 2016-17 GM Survey
NBA GMs aren’t just high on Bradley’s defensive stock; they believe the Celtics will be one of the more formidable defensive teams in the league this year. The Green finished second behind the San Antonio Spurs in voting for the top defensive team, earning 13.3 percent of the overall vote.
Boston finished fourth overall in defensive rating last year, but the addition of All-Star big man Al Horford has Bradley believing the Celtics can improve.
“I think [Al] will help us out a lot,” Bradley said. “Having a guy behind me—not to say the guys in the past weren’t good, because they were pretty dang good, especially Jared. He really helped a lot as far as talking. But Al, having that leadership and having that experience, he’s been to the playoffs multiple years in a row. So he knows what it takes to be a great defender, and I know he talks well. I can tell for how disciplined their team is. I’m just happy to have him behind me, talking and helping me defend some of the best players in the NBA.”
With Horford serving as a valuable defensive anchor in the paint alongside Amir Johnson, Bradley and Boston’s other perimeter defenders could become more aggressive during the 2016-17 season.
“I feel like the sky’s the limit for us,” Bradley said. “I’m hoping that we can be one or two in the NBA on the defensive end. If we all lock in and that’s our mindset going into every single game, I feel like it will not only help us win games but all our goals will come true being a top defense in the NBA.”
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