Between his back and forth and his adaptation to the game alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Bradley Beal did not have a great season for his first campaign with the Suns.
He also remains in two matches at 3 then 12 points, against the Sixers and the Hawks, at 5/13 overall. But Phoenix won both games and Bradley Beal made his impact felt on the other side of the floor, doing a lot of work as the first defensive blade on Tyrese Maxey then Dejounte Murray.
“Someone has to do it” explains the former Wizardwhile the Suns are only the 21st defense since the All-Star Break. “I've changed my mindset a bit these last two matches. The offense will be there, but I mainly care about our defensive efforts, shutting down guys on the other team and making an impact on that end. »
Defense must be the Suns' priority
Used more as a distributor in attack lately, and therefore as the first defender on the opposing ball carrier, Bradley Beal therefore withdraws offensively.
“Brad really sacrifices himself for the good of the team”confirms Frank Vogel, who praises his self-sacrifice on both sides of the field. “I think it’s worth pointing out. He plays the role of point guard. He goes to the paint as much as he can, but he doesn't always look to shoot. He took seven shots (Thursday against Atlanta) and he was probably our most dominant offensive player, creating things for others.”
For the person concerned, this change in mentality is necessary if the Suns want to do something this season.
“That’s what I focused on the last two matches. It's an adjustment, that's for sure. It probably makes it seem like I'm not as aggressive. But I'm involved, it's just defense we need to focus on. We score 120 points every night and we need to improve our defense. »
It remains to be seen if it is Bradley Beal, who was never renowned in the field when he played for the Wizards, who can allow Phoenix to raise the tone defensively, even if he has the physical assets to hinder the opposing attackers, and that he is capable of stealing balls or deflecting them.
| 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 | 41 | 33 | 50.4 | 37.8 | 79.8 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 18.3 |
| Total | 736 | 35 | 46.2 | 37.2 | 82.2 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 21.9 | |
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.
