As you may know by now, Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal launched his own website - bradleybeal.net - during the second half of the 2016-17 regular season to give fans his perspective on life, on and off the court. Back in March, Beal discussed the team’s culture change under the leadership of head coach Scott Brooks. Now, he is back to discuss the positive pixels of a ‘season of progress.’ Here are the highlights:
On the ‘dislike’ between him and John Wall:
“Our relationship is better than it has ever been. I think all the negativity at the beginning of the year actually brought us closer. We wanted to prove to people that they were wrong, and that there were no issues between us. There was no beef. … John was probably my biggest encourager. He trusted me with the ball over anybody else. Same goes for me. I wanted John to shoot it, too.”
On where the House of Guards rank among the league's best backcourt:
“If we want to be the best backcourt in the NBA, we’ve got to show up every night and prove it, constantly put the work in, and continue to challenge each other to get better. And that’s how we feel right now. We are the best backcourt in the league. That’s just the confidence and the approach that we have. We know that there’s a handful of talented guards in the league, and we’re not taking anything away from them. But we feel like we’re the best backcourt, and you’ll never hear us say anything different.”
On Scott Brooks (and although he did not all out say it, how he is different than Randy Wittman):
“He instills confidence in everybody. He gives everybody freedom on the offensive end. But the thing that we love the most is that he holds us accountable. He’s not afraid to speak up to anybody on the team, or voice what he wants. We relied heavily on him during the playoffs. … On top of that, he is a true player’s coach. He has a relationship with everybody on the team. He shows no favoritism.”
On free agent Otto Porter Jr.:
“I would love to have Otto back. We love Otto. He is a huge, huge part of our team, a huge part of our success. Each and every year he’s gotten better. He’s shown improvement. He’s gotten stronger. He’s definitely on the rise and on the cusp of being an elite small forward in the league. At the end of the day, we understand that it’s a business, and that Otto has to do what is best for him and his family. But I feel like he is a part of our core, a key piece for us, and if we can have him back, we want him back.”
Beal also shares praise for Markieff Morris playing through an ankle not at 100 percent during the playoffs and Kelly Oubre Jr. for being an energy presence. Moreover, he shouts out his personal trainer Drew Hanlen and Wizards performance director Jesse Phillips for his prolonged health during the 2016-17 season.
You can read the full column here.