I'm a scorer, I get paid to score" - Bradley Beal opens up about what it took him to trust his teammates more than ever before
Bradley Beal
© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The current NBA consists of very few stars that have played for just one franchise, but Washington Wizards Bradley Beal is one of them.
Beal has remained loyal.
Due to the player empowerment movement, shorter contracts, and enticing paydays that are present in the ever-growing modern NBA, players remaining with one franchise for the entirety of their careers have become less and less likely.
In addition, when star players are involved, the likelihood of staying loyal to one organization is increasingly more difficult, as factors like max contracts and legacy become influential in career decisions.
Often, players that aren't paid enough or aren't playing in circumstances positively contributing to their legacy will look to move on from a franchise. In most cases, it's due to the front office exhausting the options to improve the roster around them. However, in more concerning circumstances, they chose not to, which leads to a messy departure.
More than a scorer
Since being drafted by the Wizards in 2012, Beal has played his way into stardom by putting the ball in the basket. The 29-year-old has steadily grown into one of the premier scorers in the association and has been rewarded by being named to All-Star games and an All-NBA team in 2021.
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Despite his talented scoring ability, the St Louis native has had to adjust his game throughout his career to accommodate others and flourish within a team.
Recently, the shooting guard sat down with former Wizards' main man Gilbert Arenas on his "No Chill" podcast and admitted he's needed to alter his approach in recent seasons to help his teammates shine.
"What's so crazy because in the last two years I've had to transition my game to be more of a facilitator. And it's been an adjustment. Because you know I'm a scorer. I get paid to score My job is to move the scoreboard, that's what im told to do right. So it's been a big adjustment for me the last two years of just really understanding and learning how to trust your teammates. It goes a long way, trust and belief," Beal said.
He has been consistent through it all.
Beal's comments will be particularly interesting for former teammate and now Los Angeles Clippers point guard John Wall, who shared the court with Beal for over 8 years.
In more ways than one, Wall was similar to Arenas, who were both dynamic and explosive in their respective primes.
Arenas retired in 2012, and Wall left the Wizards in 2020, leaving Beal to carry on the backcourt production largely on his own since then.
Despite the changes in personnel throughout his 11 seasons, the former third overall pick has been a steady servant in D.C. Between 2019 and 2021, Beal averaged over 30 points per game in consecutive seasons, and despite the lack of playoff success, he has single handily kept the franchise relevant in a rapidly improving Eastern Conference.
Currently averaging 23.6 points and 5.6 assists per game, Beal and the Wizards find themselves in the playoff hunt at 11-12, looking to push up the standings toward the end of the year.
