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Avery Bradley’s Return Will Improve Celtics’ Defense, But Team Needs More to Regain Championship Form (Podcast)

Avery Bradley is on the comeback trail, and for many Celtics fans, he can’t travel it fast enough.

Without the shooting guard in the lineup this season, the C’s have yet to find their defensive identity, and the team’s inconsistent, up-and-down play has persisted much longer than many would have anticipated. With plenty of new faces in the mix for 2012-13, some growing pains were certainly to be expected. However, the time has come where Boston must begin to show signs of improvement, and Bradley should help in that regard.

However, even as Bradley returns to practice, his timeline to get back on the court for games is to be determined. That means that even when the 22-year-old returns to the lineup, the C’s would do well to continue working hard to get their defense back to the championship-caliber level it once was.

NESN.com NBA writer Ben Watanabe stopped by the podcast on Monday to discuss the latest Celtics news with NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette. The two also discussed Jeremy Lin‘s upcoming return to New York, the difference between Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum and much more.

Listen in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes to download it there.