The journalist does not have time to finish his question to Jusuf Nurkic on the current dynamic at the Suns. “ Bradley Beal. Don't even finish. Bradley Beal “, repeats the Suns pivot about what's changed in Phoenix over the past week.
“ It changes everything “, continues the Bosnian, according to whom the mere presence of his teammate, constantly injured since his arrival in Arizona, is enough to focus the attention of the defense. Whether he's having a good night or not.
Last night against the Blazers, the former Wizards player, who played only his 9th game of the year (out of 33), behaved like an offensive leader. A necessity because Kevin Durant was absent, while Devin Booker could not find the target (10 points at 4/16 on shots).
Increasing playing time
Always as elegant in his mid-range game, where he scored many of his points, Bradley Beal finished as the game's top scorer with 21 points (8/16 on shots including 1/3 from distance) and 4 rebounds.
“ We struggled in the first quarter, but we remained aggressive. We still have a lot of density and bench. We use everyone and everyone contributes. We have a very free attack, it's not as if the ball stays in the hands of a player a lot “, describes the back whose speech contrasts with recent comments made by Eric Gordon.
He adds : ” We move forward, we rotate the ball very well, we want to make sure that everyone is included in the game, that everyone touches the ball, has a chance. Especially when they double take on me, on Booker or whatever. We must trust Grayson (Allen), to EG (Eric Gordon). »
Which was more the case last night, with seven players at 10 points or more, where the Booker – Durant tandem has sometimes concentrated the offensive force of the Suns in recent weeks.
The other good news is that the three-time All-Star is gaining strength physically: 34 minutes played last night, one more last night against the Magic against whom he finished with 25 points (10/13).
Finally see the “Big Three” at work
“ His minutes will increase. Once he gets comfortable you will see more and more matches like this, it was easy for him tonight, he went to his zones. […] The more he plays, the more confidence we gain collectively “, appreciated Kevin Durant after this match against Orlando.
“ We are very happy with what it will look like with Bradley, in the Suns jersey. He is not yet fully fit but he has 25 points 10/13 on shots. He made several great one-on-one defenses, caused an offensive foul, took several rebounds in an athletic manner. He is dynamic on both ends of the court », listed Frank Vogel the same evening.
He now wants to see the three stars at work over a longer period. “ This is only their second or third match together between the three of them, there will always be a notion of picking your 'spot' in the way they attack. Because all three of them are prolific scorers. We want them to be aggressive, attack the racket and read the defense », demanded the technician, who does not want his team to fall into excess in sharing the ball.
While his team (18 wins – 15 losses) has just had four wins in a row, he could say: “ I like the direction we're taking. »
| Bradley Beal | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2012-13 | W.A.S. | 56 | 31 | 41.0 | 38.6 | 78.6 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 13.9 |
| 2013-14 | W.A.S. | 73 | 35 | 41.9 | 40.2 | 78.8 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 17.1 |
| 2014-15 | W.A.S. | 63 | 34 | 42.7 | 40.9 | 78.3 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 15.3 |
| 2015-16 | W.A.S. | 55 | 31 | 44.9 | 38.7 | 76.7 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 17.4 |
| 2016-17 | W.A.S. | 77 | 35 | 48.2 | 40.4 | 82.5 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 23.1 |
| 2017-18 | W.A.S. | 82 | 36 | 46.0 | 37.5 | 79.1 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 22.7 |
| 2018-19 | W.A.S. | 82 | 37 | 47.5 | 35.1 | 80.8 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 25.6 |
| 2019-20 | W.A.S. | 57 | 36 | 45.5 | 35.3 | 84.2 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 6.1 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 30.5 |
| 2020-21 | W.A.S. | 60 | 36 | 48.5 | 34.9 | 88.9 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 31.3 |
| 2021-22 | W.A.S. | 40 | 36 | 45.1 | 30.0 | 83.3 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 6.6 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 23.2 |
| 2022-23 | W.A.S. | 50 | 34 | 50.6 | 36.5 | 84.2 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 23.2 |
| 2023-24 | PHX | 8 | 27 | 48.9 | 40.0 | 75.0 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 14.9 |
| Total | 703 | 35 | 46.0 | 37.2 | 82.2 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 22.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
