During his short time as a member of the Miami Heat, veteran guard Avery Bradley has developed a feeling that many of the same possibilities he got with his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, will be available with the Heat.
The 30-year-old Bradley signed last month with the Heat after playing one season with the Lakers. With his new teammates’ experience in the finals and a reshaped roster, Bradley already feels comfortable and sees parallels to the Lakers’ title run.
“I think championship-caliber teams, a lot of it has to do with experience,” Bradley said. “These guys played in the championship last year. They know what to expect to be able to get to that point of the season.
“Them losing the players that they had on their team last year, they were amazing players. Jae Crowder, just to name one of the guys. But us, who we’ve been able to add this year and who they already have as the pillars of this team, them being able to catch us up and make us a part of this culture, I do think we have an opportunity to put ourselves back in that same position.”
Due to family health concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, Bradley chose to opt out of playing in the 2020 postseason, which denied him the opportunity to celebrate the title with his teammates.
However, Bradley continues to offer aggressive defense as a calling card, something that fits in well with the aggressive philosophy mantra of the Heat.
Bradley’s first chance to clamp down an opposing defense for the Heat will come on Wednesday night, when they open the 2020-21 season on the road against the Orlando Magic.
