The career of Bradley Beal has entered a new chapter as he looks to rebuild his name and repair his reputation with the Los Angeles Clippers. Beal spent two years with the Phoenix Suns, hoping to be the missing piece that would push them over the top alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Unfortunately, Phoenix’s “big three” flopped and never won a single playoff series together.
Suns ownership abandoned the experiment during the offseason, trading Durant to the Houston Rockets. Beal was waived via a contract buyout, hitting the free-agent market before signing with the Clippers as another veteran presence on the roster. Recently, the shooting guard faced his former team and had some critical words.
“When you allow me to be that guy, I’ll be that,” Beal said. “But when you have two coaches that want you to set screens and play in the dunker, you’re not Brad Beal.”
Beal spent two seasons in Phoenix but never felt like a major part of the team’s identity. The failed run proved that simply assembling star talent to team up doesn’t always translate to wins.
Beal Wanted More Shots In Phoenix
The comments from Beal continued to express his displeasure over how he was used and how he felt the team could have improved with more involvement. Durant and Booker are significantly better than Beal to make him the odd man out that needed to adapt his game more to fit their styles.
The wildest comment came when Beal even listed the number of shots he wanted to put up:
“When’s the last time I shot 14 shots for the Suns?”
Beal averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds for Phoenix in just under 33 minutes per game. The stats showed he was involved in the scoring, but it was a massive decline from his time with the Washington Wizards. Beal made three All-Star appearances and averaged 30+ points per game in two seasons for Washington before the big trade.
Beal Believes Clippers Will Empower Him
Many are questioning the timing of Beal’s comments criticizing the Suns after they defeated him. Beal struggled badly for the Clippers in their loss to the Suns last night. Los Angeles missed the injured Kawhi Leonard and James Harden to require more from Beal, but his struggles have worsened so far this season.
Beal shot 2 for 14 against his former team and only scored 5 points in the decisive defeat. However, praise came after the game for how the team gave him confidence. “That’s one thing I will say is, everybody’s like, ‘Go, keep shooting, go, go, go,’” Beal said after the loss in Phoenix. “‘Just go be you, be you. Be you.’ So, that’s always encouraging.”
The Clippers have struggled and fell in the early conference positioning due to their two top players missing games. Veterans like Brook Lopez and Chris Paul have struggled to make an impact in limited minutes while aging older than most of the league. Beal is needed to step up from his woeful 7.0 points per game average right now on 35% shooting for Los Angeles to have any chance at contending.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bradley Beal Blames Suns For Failed Phoenix Stint appeared first on Heavy Sports.