Bradley Beal credits Russell Westbrook with being his pillar of support this year with the Wizards, as they make their way up the table.
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Beal is leading the league in scoring for the first time in what is now a 9-year career. He earned his first All-Star nod in 2018, but was snubbed last year despite averaging 30 points per game.
He’s on a mission now to lead the Washington Wizards back to the playoffs after a 2-year hiatus. The 2-guard now has Russell Westbrook instead of John Wall by his side, but the equation remains the same. Russ is the distributor, and Beal is the shooter.
The Wizards are currently 14-20, 13th in the East. But they’ve been trending up in the month of February, pulling themselves up from the doldrums of a 3-14 record.
Bradley Beal calls Russell Westbrook the best teammate he’s ever had
In a recent interview, Beal had the following things to say about Russ’s influence on the Wizards:
“I credit a lot of my success to Russ. It’s seeing how he brings every single day as a player, a leader, as a father, as a man. Like, he’s the best teammate probably I’ve ever had. And just in terms of leadership, one of the best leaders I’ve played with.”
“Because he holds himself accountable, he holds himself to a certain standard. And he kinda has this approach where he keeps that with his teammates. But he goes out there and he gives it his all, every single time he touches the floor.”
“To see him average triple-doubles, to average 30-point triple-doubles over the last few years, it’s not by accident, you know? It’s dedication, it’s hard work. That’s going out there and giving it your all every single night.”
“And I looked at that and I was like ‘Ok, well, I can do that. I can play hard every single night, I can give my teammates my all every night. I can be locked in to make sure that my body’s ready to go, that I’m mentally ready to go.’ And I think that’s a true testament to who he is.”
