Former NBA point guard Avery Bradley might not be taking the court anymore, but that doesn't mean he isn't watching from afar.
After 15 seasons, Bradley officially called it quits with the Los Angeles Lakers, starting 45 games for the Purple & Gold in his final season just two years after he won a ring with them. But despite winning with Los Angeles — an experience Bradley said he felt coming "from day one" — the veteran point guard switched things up on a recent interview with Betway.
The Lakers weren't his under-the-radar team of the season, nor his title favorites — the Boston Celtics claimed the latter spot.
But the Oklahoma City Thunder took the former.
"I think OKC, [is] my shocker this year," Bradley told the site. "OKC has a great young core, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is emerging as a star in the NBA right now. I really like the way he plays."
Bradley, being a point guard himself, has the lens of a distributor and a scorer. In his heyday with Boston, Bradley was averaging north of 15 points per game for multiple seasons in a row, which Gilgeous-Alexander has already surpassed.
But besides the Thunder's frontman, Bradley also commended another prominent Thunder player.
"My surprising player of the season [for the entire NBA] is on [OKC]," Bradley said. "Jalen Williams. Look out for him this year. I really like him, I think he’s going to show he’s a future starter in the NBA and could potentially be an All-Star."
Williams, who averaged 14.1 points last season in 75 games played and 62 starts, is certainly carving a place for himself on the Thunder, and according to Bradley, across the NBA. If he were to become an All-Star candidate this season, it would come as a surprise, but also be a telling sign of what's to come.
Between he, Chet Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder is in good hands. Last season was a prime example of that, and this season is set to be even more so.
And if nothing else, the team has Avery Bradley's support. NBA veteran approved,
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