One of the underrated signings the Los Angeles Lakers made in 2019 NBA free agency was the addition of Avery Bradley.
With this signing, Bradley will be reuniting with his former Boston Celtics teammate Rajon Rondo. The two played together on the Celtics from the 2010-2014 NBA seasons before Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Due to injuries and bad situations, Bradley has had a rough past couple of seasons on the court. However, just two seasons ago, Bradley managed to score 16.3 points and grab 6.1 rebounds on 39% from the three-point line.
However, forgetting the on-court situation, Bradley seems beyond excited to be teaming up with Rondo once again after a five-year hiatus. The two developed a strong bond with the Celtics and Bradley sees Rondo as ‘family’ while also citing him as one of the major reasons he joined the Lakers in the first place.
“We’re like family. The recruiting, I know was a little tough for him. He tried to stay away from that. He wanted me to make whatever decision was best for me and my family,” Bradley said.
“But our relationship is good on and off the floor. I feel like without him even knowing it, he is part of the reason why I came here. He’s a great person and great basketball player.”
Bradley then spoke about the on-court fit and how Rondo at this stage in his career could teach him a lot about the game. Bradley, who is just 28-years-old, still has a ton of room to grow as a player and as a person.
“Having the opportunity to not only learn from where he is now in his game, I feel like can benefit me. Not only him but everyone else on our team. There are a lot of guys I’m going to be able to pick up a lot of leadership qualities from. That all helped me make my decision to come here,” Bradley said.
“It wasn’t just because of basketball, it was being able to build myself as a person. I felt like this was a perfect situation. With all the players here, I feel like it’s going to help me become a better person and better basketball player.”
After Bradley’s rough stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, he seemed to find his stride again in his 14 appearances with the Memphis Grizzlies. In that small sample size, he averaged 16.1 points on 46.3% from the field and 38.4% from three.