Memphis Grizzlies: How Avery Bradley Has Rediscovered Himself Since Coming To Memphis

The Memphis Grizzlies have struggled to find consistent guards alongside Mike Conley for years and now it seems they may have found that in Avery Bradley.

Avery Bradley has really struggled ever since he left the Boston Celtics. He was becoming one of the good two-way players in the league during his time there. His time with the Los Angeles Clippers was a disappointment but he has rediscovered himself since the Memphis Grizzlies acquired him at the NBA trade deadline.

Bradley first left the Celtics during the summer of 2017 when he was traded for Marcus Morris. They had to create salary cap space for Gordon Hayward. His time in Detroit didn’t last a long time though. He played in just 40 games with the team, though he was productive as he averaged 15 points per game during his time there.

He was sent to the Clippers in the blockbuster deal that sent Blake Griffin to Detroit with Tobias Harris, Boban Marjonvic, Avery Bradley and many others to Los Angeles. The Clippers have continued to make big moves towards the future but they are still competing for a playoff spot despite trading Harris to the Philadelphia 76ers just a couple of weeks ago.

For whatever reason Bradley was not a good fit in LA. He started all 55 games he played with the team but some health issues and some inconsistent play kept him from playing like he was capable of.

He did start every game but Lou Williams was the backup shooting guard so he wasn’t your typical starter. In 55 games with the Clippers, he averaged just 8.3 points per game which is his lowest average since he was 21 years old with the Celtics which was his 2nd year in the league.

The Grizzlies were looking to trade Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green to bring in a pick or a young player but they surprised people with their decision to trade for Avery Bradley instead. Chris Wallace made a couple of deals that surprised people but the fans have since started to come around on them. Sure you would love to have gotten a first-round pick but you have to be realistic.

Bradley has come to Memphis and played at a very high level in his seven games played which have all been starts. He is averaging 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. He has been shooting the ball well from three-point range as he has made 1.9 three’s per game at a 42% clip.

We also saw him set his career-high in scoring in a loss against the San Antonio Spurs. In that game, he finished with 33 points on 15-21 shooting in just his second game with the team. He also went 3-5 from three-point range.

The Grizzlies have been searching for a guy like Bradley to put alongside Conley for years but they found him just too late. Ever since Tony Allen has left they’ve been looking for the next guy and have not found one. It’s still early to know for sure but it seems as if Bradley could be that guy.

With the Clippers, he wasn’t a main part of the offense as has been with the Grizzlies. Some of it has to do with playing on a better team but he has shown he is more than capable of contributing at a high level. He has put up numbers everywhere he’s been besides Los Angeles.

While we have a lot to be excited about with Bradley we do need to keep our expectations realistic. We saw Garrett Temple play well early on and he looked like the answer before the last couple of months of consistent play.

All Bradley needed to be successful was a team that believed in him and that would give him the opportunity to compete at a high level on both ends of the floor. Who knows what the future holds for him and how long he may be in Memphis but he is enjoying it and is back playing like his old self.