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Philadelphia 76ers C Tony Bradley fights for the ball during a game against the Chicago Bulls.
Tony Bradley’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers may have been relatively short, but the young tall man definitely made a name for himself in the city of brotherly love.
Before Bradley was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, he had played a key role in keeping the team at the helm of the Eastern Conference as All-Star Center Joel Embiid was shelved with a deep bruise in his left knee.
In his last game with the Sixers, Bradley scored a career high of 18 points to claim victory over the Golden State Warriors. He also scored 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals and was a perfect 8v8 player off the field.
Even so, the team decided to leverage his potential in a deadline day deal for the veteran general George Hill to bring in. It was a clear effort on the part of Philly to build his viability as an NBA title contender.
However, Embiid and his supporter – former multiple all-star Dwight Howard – made sure Bradley’s contributions and the odds were in his wake of trading in Oklahoma City is imminent.
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Earlier this month, Embiid Bradley sang praise on Twitter when the 23-year-old set it on fire against the Chicago Bulls. As was the case with the Warriors, Bradley didn’t go off the ground in the game. He also showed several flashes of the steps he took defensively.
Tony Bradley | HIGHLIGHTS @ Chicago Bulls (11/3/21) Tony Bradley came out with the launch and was ready to mature. He finished with 14 points, 5 boards, and 3 blocks.2021-03-12T04: 05: 32Z
Two weeks later, Embiid quoted the tweet asking Bradley’s new team to use a similar strategy.
Howard for his part, was visually struck during a media zoom call when he was reminded that Bradley was no longer part of the team. Shortly thereafter, he made a point to exaggerate his former teammate.
« It’s very sad to hear he left our team, » Howard said of Sports Illustrated. « I’ve seen his energy and commitment change from the start of the season and he’s got the last couple of games out of his head and I’m so proud of him. »
« He’s got them Opportunity to go to Oklahoma City and play big minutes and I think it will be a boon to him. » I’m sad that he’s leaving our team but I’m happy for him as a player because he gets the opportunity he needs and I hope he continues to work hard and doesn’t forget where you’re from. He’ll be great. «
While the Thunder are unlikely to be teaming up around Bradley as Embiid suggested, they will no doubt look at him seriously. And recent events suggest that looks could be far more significant than what he’s in Philly or with his previous team, the Utah Jazz.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, OKC chose the Al Horford starting center, the former All-Star had performed well for the Thunder this season, but the team focuses on younger players who are developing.
Bradley has played 20 games for the Sixers this season, averaging 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per competition fourth year will be a restricted free agent this off-season.
Ref: https://heavy.com