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Tony Bradley’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers may have been relatively brief, but the young big man definitely made his mark in the City of Brotherly Love.
Before getting dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, Bradley had played a key role in keeping the team atop the Eastern Conference standings as All-Star center Joel Embiid was shelved with a deep bone bruise in his left knee.
In his final game with the Sixers, Bradley scored a career-high 18 points to spearhead a win over the Golden State Warriors. He also notched 11 rebounds, two blocks, two steals and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field.
Nevertheless, the team opted to parlay his potential into a deadline-day deal for veteran floor general George Hill. It was a clear effort by Philly to bolster its viability as an NBA title contender.
However, Embiid and his back-up — former multi-time All-Star Dwight Howard — made sure to take stock of Bradley’s contributions and the opportunities that lie ahead for him in Oklahoma City in the wake of the trade.
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Embiid & Howard Shoot on Bradley
Earlier this month, Embiid was singing Bradley’s praises on Twitter as the 23-year-old was lighting it up against the Chicago Bulls. As was the case against the Warriors, Bradley didn’t miss from the floor in the game. He also showed multiple flashes of the strides he has made defensively.
In response, Embiid joked that the Sixers should build their team around Bradley.
Two weeks later, with the former first-round pick on his way to the Thunder, Embiid quoted the tweet while imploring Bradley’s new team to employ a similar strategy.
“Y’all better do it… He’s the TRUTH!!!!! @okcthunder,” he tweeted.
For his part, Howard was visually affected during a media Zoom call when he was reminded that Bradley was no longer part of the squad. Shortly thereafter, he made a point to hype-up his former teammate.
“It’s very sad to hear about him leaving our team,” Howard said, via Sports Illustrated. “I’ve seen from the beginning of the season to now, his energy and his effort has changed, and he’s been playing out of his mind the last couple of games, and I’m so proud of him.
“He has an opportunity to go to Oklahoma City and play big minutes, and I think it’s gonna be a blessing in disguise for him. I’m sad that he’s leaving our team, but I’m happy for him as a player because he gets that opportunity that he needs, and I hope he continues to work hard and not forget where you came from. He’s going to be great.”
New Opportunities
Although the Thunder likely won’t be building their team around Bradley, as Embiid has suggested, they will undoubtedly give him a serious look. And recent events suggest that look may be far more considerable than what he experienced in Philly, or with his previous team, the Utah Jazz.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, OKC has elected to sit starting center Al Horford. The former All-Star had performed well for the Thunder this season, but the team is opting to focus on younger players moving forward.
Consequently, Bradley should be a day-one rotation player for Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
Bradley appeared in 20 games for the Sixers this season, averaging 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per contest. The fourth-year pro will be a restricted free agent this offseason.
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