Matt Bradley needs to have a breakout year for Cal
When looking at the current Cal men’s basketball roster, the one player who has the most potential to have a breakout season and perhaps get on the NBA’s radar is sophomore shooting guard Matt Bradley. Bradley had a solid freshman campaign last season, averaging 10.8 points per game on 41.1% shooting from the field, 47.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 79.1% shooting from the foul line.
When Bradley committed to Cal, his coach at Wasatch Academy Curtis Condie told me he was a “program changer.” Early on his freshman year, you could see why. The would-have-been-game-winner against Stanford that got reversed from a block to a charge was probably the first time I realized Cal had something special in Bradley. Even though the basket was waived off and Cal lost the game, Bradley showed that he had the courage and determination to make big plays in the biggest moments.
This year, Bradley will look to have an expanded role on this Cal team due to the departure of so many key players via the transfer portal. Rather than looking for greener pastures elsewhere, he instead decided to stay put at Cal and help build the program that head coach Mark Fox is now in charge of.
While Bradley isn’t the only talented player on this Cal team, he is by far the one with the most upside due to his athleticism, strength, speed, physicality, and playmaking abilities. At 6’4”, 220 pounds, he is built like a young Deron Williams and plays like him as well. It’s easy to see why national Rivals analyst Eric Bossi called Bradley “Ronnie Lott in high tops” when he was in high school. Bradley brings football athleticism, toughness, and tenacity to the basketball court, making him a really difficult player to go up against.
If Bradley is to have a breakout season, there are areas of his game that need improvement. First, he’ll need to get more comfortable being the go-to option. Last season, he had the luxury to let Justice Sueing carry most of the scoring load. With Sueing now at Ohio State, Bradley is projected to be the go-to player on this Cal team and he’ll need to embrace that. Given what we saw from him last year, I think he’ll slide into that go-to role just fine.
Secondly, Bradley needs to improve his facilitating abilities. Coming out of high school, he prided himself on being a “power guard” capable of playing both point guard and shooting guard. Averaging just 2.9 assists per 40 minutes last season, it is clear that Bradley needs to do more to get his teammates involved. Once he’s able to create for others as well as himself, he’ll truly take his game to new heights.
Lastly, Bradley needs to improve his defense. Bradley has all the tools in the world to be an elite defender both physically and mentally. He isn’t afraid to take charges and likes to go up against the best players. His biggest weakness defensively is fouling too often. He averaged 2.7 personal fouls per game last season (3.8 per 40 minutes). It’s tough to play physical defense without fouling, but it can be done if you know what you are doing. If Bradley is able to figure out how to avoid getting foul calls and stay on the floor, he’ll be able to make a real impact on the defensive end for the Golden Bears.