NBA: How Avery Bradley’s absence affects Lakers’ title hopes

Avery Bradley announced that he will be skipping the NBA season return in Orlando next month to prioritize being with his family.

ESPN story on starting Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley opting-out of Orlando. “As committed to my Lakers teammates and the organization as I am, I ultimately play basketball for my family.” https://t.co/Qz4W02wChQ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2020

The 10-year pro is a known defensive stalwart and a threat from the outside as well.

He has started in 44 of 49 games he has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, as he is an integral part of the system.

With the Lakers this season, Bradley is averaging 8.6 PPG on 36.4% shooting from deep. Him being a 3-point threat helps space the floor as LeBron James runs the point guard chores.

According to NBA Stats, the Lakers score slightly better with Bradley on the floor by 0.8 points per 100 possessions.

Defensively, Bradley on the floor allows the Lakers to limit its opponents’ scoring by 1.2 points per 100 possessions better than when he is off.

The Lakers are the 3rd best defensive team in the NBA, and is partly due to Bradley as well, aside from their bigs like JaVale McGee and Anthony Davis.

Beyond the numbers, the 6-3 guard is also an effective stopper to star players like Paul George, James Harden, and Donovan Mitchell, whom the Lakers might face along the way in the playoffs.

Take Bradley away, and the Lakers will suffer in different aspects, from floor-spacing to on-ball defense to having just an extra body as part of the regular rotation.

And not only that, the Lakers might also be without back-up big man Dwight Howard when the season resumes.

Without a doubt, Bradley’s impact will be missed by the Lakers, who shall now need Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, Dion Waiters, and possibly J.R. Smith to all step in different ways.