Post by Rog on Dec 31, 2017 2:17:25 GMT
The 100th nominee of the NBN Hall of Fame, and third from 2026, Avery Bradley was one of those role playings studs early in his career before he exploded on the scene. Was his elite peak long enough to generate Hall of Fame support or was he just not good enough for long enough?
Career Stats
37.0 MPG, 23.6 PPG, 8.8 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.8 TOPG on 47.4% from the field, 90.9% from the line, and 43.7% from three
Best Season
Jazz(2021) - 31.8 PPG, 9.7 APG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.4 TOPG on 48.8% from the field, 94.9% from the line, and 44.6% from three
Career Highs
Points: 56
Rebounds: 14
Assists: 19
Steals: 10
Blocks: 4
Achievements
Championships: 2
Player of the Game: 316
Player of the Week: 16
Player of the Month: 5
Double Doubles: 452
Triple Doubles: 14
Career Leaderboard Rankings
Steals - 21st
Points - 40th
Assists - 18th
Awards
2013 - All-Star Rookie Game Participant
2013 - Rookie Game MVP
2019 - All-Star Game Participant
2019 - All-League Third Team
2021 - All-Star Game Participant
2021 - All-Defensive Second Team
2023 - All-Star Game Participant
2023 - All-League Second Team
Arguments For Induction
- Bradley was the starting point guard on two title teams with the Nets. He also played in three All-Star games and was named to an All-League Second Team, an All League Third Team, and an All-Defensive Second Team as well.
- Above all else, Avery Bradley was an absolutely destructive scorer in his elite peak. For eight seasons Bradley was a 26+ points per game scorer, getting above 28 several times and shooting the ball with incredible efficiency. He was a career 47.4/90.9/43.7 shooter, but during his peak he shot the ball at a 49/92/44 clip that is absolutely and insanely elite. Despite anything else, you could count on Bradley to give you elite scoring.
- Almost as good as he was offensively, so was Bradley good defensively. When he played for the Nets, he was a good scorer but not quite an elite one, but he was a complete and total plus because he was a crazy good defender. He appeared on the best defenders lists almost every year they came out. He also averaged over 2 steals for his career and in all but one season when he started. He also had an All-Defensive team nomination, he was a stud.
- While not the best passer in league history, Bradley was a great pure point guard overall. He had a double double in nearly half of his games. He averaged 8.8 assists per game in his career to only 2.2 turnovers, which would be the same ratio if he did 10 assists to 2.5 turnovers, that is a good number.
- Overall, Bradley is an easy case to make. He was fantastic in a number of core ways to play basketball. He could score, pass the ball well, didn't turn it over, rebounded well, and was an absolutely fantastic defender. He also had 14 triple doubles in his career. When you ask what a Hall of Famer is, you look for pure statistical dominance or you look for a guy who was historically great at just about everything. Bradley falls into the latter camp and VERY well.
Arguments Against Induction
- Above all else and like a lot of guys with great but not elite stats, he just doesn't have enough awards to justify a Hall of Fame induction, maybe eventually in a revote down the line with enough support to get him there but who knows.
- And once again, we need to remember that while he has really good, and even great at times, stats these are not elite stats and even doing a lot of things really well, you need something to hang your hat on and Bradley just simply lacks that. Great player with elite years in his career, but absolutely nothing to really hang his hat on and hang onto. Its a rough case to make because of that.
- This section will look like and a lot of people will look here and think "there isn't much to say he must be a Hall of Famer', but he was absolutely really good at everything he did and there is nothing you can really push aside and say "this is why he isn't a Hall of Famer" except the fact that he wasn't amazing at anything. His lack of awards and the fact that he was a straight up role player for six or seven seasons to start his career, where he had his most success as well, just adds to a lack of a hard case. The question you have to ask yourself when voting here, how do you want the Hall of Fame to be seen? As a place where dominant players go or a place that is also shared by players like Bradley, guys who do so much well there isn't a case against, but not really a case for. You decide.
Vote carefully, and remember to throw out arguments regardless of which side you're on. This should be a discussion that eventually gets the league to the proper decision on him. Your vote can also be retracted after it's been cast if you feel like switching to the other side based on the arguments that have been made. To be inducted, a player needs 70% and to be considered in a later class they need 50%. Vote carefully.
***BONUS - Don't forget that everyone who votes gets $25 and the person that makes the best argument or contributes to the discussion the best will be awarded an extra $25***
*
