Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley may be back on the court next Friday when the team takes on the Phoenix Suns. Bradley has missed 16 of Boston’s last 19 games due to ankle injuries.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens made the announcement about Bradley’s return before practice earlier today.
"“(Athletic trainer) Ed (Lacerte) just told me Friday is a possibility, but we’ll see,” Stevens said. “I don’t want to say with any certainty on Friday or not. It doesn’t look like Tuesday or Wednesday he’ll play, but hopefully we get him back sooner rather than later.”"
Bradley is the team’s second leading scorer and coach Stevens said his return would impact all aspects of the game.
"“I think we miss him from a scoring standpoint. I think we miss him from an ability to turn it up defensively standpoint,” Stevens said. “It’s hard to quantify that. One of the things is that when he gets into the game and he gets the crowd behind you because of his energy and effort, does that actually count for more points than it may look like?”"
Bradley is averaging 14.3 points and and 3.9 rebounds on the season.