After the Phoenix Suns dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers last night, Kevin Durant issued a strong statement on Bradley Beal.
Beal scored a season-high 37 points against the Lakers and Durant enjoyed the show.
“It’s been fun being around Brad and seeing his mentality and his IQ for the game,” Durant said of Beal, via Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “When you’re around teams that don’t have successful post-season runs like he was a part of the past few years, people tend to question your IQ and intelligence for the game. But when you’re around Brad, he sees and knows everything. He hears everything out on the floor. That is always good to have when you have another guy that can just kind of survey the game the way he surveys it.”
Durant, who finished with 18 points versus the Lakers, told Medina that Beal is one of the best basketball players in the world. The Suns improved to 20-18 on the season after beating the Lakers, who dropped to 19-20.
“Brad is one of the best players in the world,” Durant said of Beal. “To see an opportunity to see that close up and see a guy every day and see who he truly is as a player and then you come out there and get moments like that, that’s always fun. I enjoy seeing my teammates cook like that. We’re going to need more from him because that ignites the bench and it ignites the crowd, even if we’re on the road.”
In his first season with the Suns, Beal is averaging 17.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks while shooting 50.0% from the field, 39.6% from beyond the arc and 78.7% from the free-throw line. Since returning from an ankle injury, Beal is averaging 20.3 points.
He got to wherever he wanted,” Durant said of Beal. “He had his whole bag open tonight. When he’s unpredictable in his attack, it just makes the game easier for everybody else.”
With Durant, Beal and Devin Booker leading the way, the Suns are expected to compete for the championship this season. It will be fascinating to see how far Phoenix goes this year.
