Bradley Beal: 'I Wanna Get Back to My All-Star Level of Play' After Trade to Suns

Bradley Beal is ready to get back to an All-Star level.

The new Phoenix Suns wing told Deyscha Smith of Slam that he's ready to raise his level of play with new teammates Kevin Durant and Devin Booker after being left off the All-Star team in each of the last two seasons:

"I would say the biggest individual piece is getting back to being one of the best two-way players in the league. Showing that I can really compete at a high level and play a meaningful game. You know, playing in the playoffs, winning in the playoffs, advancing past rounds. Granted, I wanna get back to my All-Star level of play. I really believe that that's who I am: All-NBA guy, All-Star guy. And I have a good group that can push me to be that every single day. So I'm excited about that opportunity. I get to be around like-minded guys and guys who will push me to make sure that I'm the best version of myself every day."

After averaging a career high 31.3 points in the 2020-21 season—and 30.5 points per game the year before that—Beal took a step back in the next two seasons, averaging 23.2 points per contest in each campaign.

Last season he added 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three.

But injuries limited the three-time All-Star and 2020-21 All-NBA third-team selection to 40 games in the 2021-22 season and 50 games last year, the two lowest totals of his career.

Beal was the man in Washington, though in his later years it was obvious a full rebuild was coming as the team was unable to build a contender around him.

In Phoenix he'll have far more help, though it's questionable what his exact role will be on an offense featuring two dynamic scorers in Durant and Booker. Somebody is going to have to sacrifice and become more of a playmaker, and the most likely candidate is Beal.

"You know, we're all gonna have our own individual goals, but I think the beauty about our group is that we're so unselfish," he told Slam. "And sometimes we might have to, like, yell at each other to shoot the ball or yell at each other to be aggressive because we have that mentality of deferring to the next man."

Certainly it will be the most talent Beal has ever been surrounded with, and the expectations for the Suns are crystal clear—anything less than a title will be seen as a major failing.

"It won't be easy," Beal said. "It'll be a work in progress, I think. You know, it's very hard to win in our league. I think a lot of people kind of think—they see a team, 'Oh, they're gonna win.' But, you know, we still have to figure it out. We still have to be blessed and be healthy throughout the year and make it work. But we'll be a challenge. I think we have a great group that's ready to fill their roles and accept it."