Bradley Beal was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week by the NBA for the first time in his career on Tuesday afternoon in recognition for his play from December 25-31. He averaged 26.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals while posting a .546 true shooting percentage as the Wizards went 3-1 with wins over the Celtics, Rockets, and Bulls.
Beal saved his best performance for last, going off for 39 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists and making 7 three-pointers to help the Wizards beat the Bulls on Sunday. He joined James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Vince Carter, LeBron James, Antoine Walker, and Jason Kidd as the only players to ever post 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 7 threes in a single game.
The award comes at a great time for Beal as he looks to earn his first All-Star appearance this season. He’s averaging career highs in points per game, assists per game, rebounds per game, and usage rate. He’s also getting it done on the defensive end, where he’s third in the league in contested threes per game.
Beal is the first Wizard to be named Player of the Week since John Wall, who last earned the honor exactly one year ago January 2, 2017.