Bradley Beal put together a version of the perfect shooting guard, built using Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson among others.
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Beal has become a top-5 scorer in the league today. He damn near sealed a scoring title this very year before Stephen Curry usurped it at the end. Beal has unlocked his potential as a scorer at will and he’s the backbone of this Wizards unit.
The going hasn’t always been smooth for the Washington first-round pick from 2012. Still aged just 27, Beal has his prime years ahead of him to try and win an NBA title.
He’s definitely added all the requisite tools needed to be an all-time great scorer to his arsenal. Beal operates with the assured air of a maestro at work when the Wizards are looking for buckets.
Bradley Beal creates the perfect player – featuring Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan
Beal grew up on a generation of basketball that featured mid-range shots as the bread and butter. He also understood the importance of using one’s body in order to create separation and an earn trips to the charity stripe.
He was on the Knuckleheads podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles this past week. The duo asked him about many things that shaped his view of the basketball world.
One of the questions they posed was regarding players who he looked up to. Bradley Beal gave a thorough breakdown of what qualities he studied in his idols as he grew up playing basketball:
“If I’d a big machine to create a player I could put together, I always loved Kobe and Michael Jordan’s footwork. That’s one thing I always watch. Their pirouettes, spins, just their ability to manipulate defenses with their feet. Pivot, reverse, side steps, all that.”
“Then Ray Allen’s shooting ability, like you said he’s a jump-shooter. My mom, she made me sit down like I’m sitting right here, and watch Ray Allen clips all day. Watching his form – one hand, guide hand off the ball.”
“Growing up, AI was my favorite player. I was just a fanboy of AI so I loved everything he did, he has a heart of a champion. And then as I got older, I started watching a lot of D-Wade.”
“To be able to slither through the defenses. He wasn’t always known as a shooter, so he figured out ways to be able to get his points off and be able to use his body, post up, pump fake, spin in the lane, Eurosteps, dunking on you. He had it all.”
