Avery Bradley is the best in the world when it comes to shutting down star point guards. What’s his secret? He’s not scared, he tells Tom Westerholm of MassLive:
“I love the challenge,” Bradley said on Friday, making an appearance at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “I love going up against the best players. I don’t care who it is. I don’t care about getting embarrassed. I don’t care. Kyrie Irving, none of those guys scare me. I know some players in the NBA probably get butterflies before the game, but not me. I’m licking my lips. I come excited. They need to prepare for me at the end of the day. That’s how I think.”
Bradley might be my favorite player in the NBA right now (he’s definitely top-two), and I love hearing this from him. His intensity and competitive energy on the defensive end is unparalleled. Bradley also shared an awesome story about his first time guarding Jason Kidd:
Bradley recalled an instance in one of his first games, facing Jason Kidd. His teammates, including Kevin Garnett, warned Bradley not to play his trademark full-court defense, saying that Kidd might embarrass him. Bradley, however, didn’t listen.
“I picked him up full court twice and ripped him twice in a row,” Bradley said. “Their coach called timeout, and he started cussing me out like, ‘You don’t ever pick me up like that, young boy.’ I’m like ‘Man, what did I do?'”
Bradley has high hopes for Boston’s defense this season:
“We could have a top one, two or three defensive unit,” he said.
…
“I’m going to play rough,” Bradley said. “I’m going to pick up the entire game. I’m not going to back down. You can cross me, I can fall, I don’t care. That’s just me, that’s who I am.”
I love Avery Bradley so much. I swear I could watch him play defense for hours without getting bored, and I look forward to doing so this season.
