The quiet, unassuming, babysat-by-Nelly version of Bradley Beal is gone. He's been replaced by a brash, aggressive, insatiable scoring machine that's ready for the spotlight.
Beal came through in the clutch Friday as he scored 14 points - including four triples - in the fourth quarter to help the Washington Wizards stay undefeated with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
An animated Beal spoke emphatically after the game ended.
"Nobody can stop me," Beal declared in an on-court postgame TV interview, according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. "Plain and simple."
After battling foul trouble for most of the first three quarters, Beal came alive in the fourth with the Wizards trailing by double digits.
Beal's first triple of the quarter gave the Wizards a brief lead, his second triple tied the game, his third triple put his team up three, and his fourth triple in the span of five minutes was the nail in the coffin.
Friday's outing gives Beal per-game averages of 25 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 3-pointers per game on 51.4 percent shooting from the floor. Those numbers closely mirror Beal's line of 23.4 points and 5.5 rebounds on 40.5 percent shooting during last season's playoff run.
The difference in efficiency can be attributed to easier opportunities in transition. Randy Wittman's new up-tempo attack has supercharged the offense and opened up the floor for Beal and John Wall to attack relentlessly, and they've flourished.
"It’s great. He took my role for another night," said Wall, who supplied the last-second heroics in the season opener. "He stepped up. I made one three but he made some big shots for us. The good thing about our team, me or him, we can take over at any time but we still contribute and get our teammates involved at the same time."
"We have to carry this team," Beal said. "John and I looked at each other again and said, 'Let's take over this game.' And that's what we did."
