Jaden Bradley is the steady hand that leads the Arizona Wildcats | Michael Lev

A minute into the second half of a mid-January game vs. Baylor, Jaden Bradley stole a baseline pass. He fired the ball ahead to Caleb Love and took off down the court for a two-on-one fastbreak.

Love flipped the ball back to Bradley, who then did something we rarely see from Arizona’s understated point guard:

He took off from the Big 12 logo in the lane at McKale Center and threw down a wicked one-handed dunk.

KJ Lewis leapt from his seat on the UA bench. Every Wildcat rose to his feet. It was an exceptional play in every sense of the word.

After the game, an 81-70 Arizona victory, I asked Bradley about that play.

“Man,” he said with a sheepish grin. “I don’t know what happened right there, I’m not gonna lie.”

Bradley spoke of that dunk as if it were an out-of-body experience. It certainly wasn’t the norm for the junior, whose game is more steady than spectacular — more dependable than dominant.

Bradley plays an old-school style of basketball that, on the surface, seems at odds with Tommy Lloyd’s modern, up-tempo approach. The two actually blend together beautifully.

Bradley serves as Lloyd’s eyes on the court. After the Feb. 8 win over Texas Tech, Lloyd mentioned that Bradley has advanced to the point where he can call plays without the coach’s help.

“I love that,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd also described his point guard as “rock solid.” I can’t think of a more apt depiction.

On a team filled with players who are up and down or still finding their way in college basketball, Bradley is the constant. You always know what you’re going to get from him.

“He’s become a consummate point guard,” said Lloyd, whose team is the No. 3 seed in this week’s Big 12 Tournament. “He’s really settled in. He’s great in high-level games. He’s very trustworthy.

“I love JB. You talk about no drama, no issues, no nothing. That’s that kid.”

Bradley told me there’s no significance to his wearing No. 0. But maybe it represents his low-maintenance presence in the locker room. Zero problems.

Bradley developed his game by “playing up.” His brother, Nate Jr., is about six years older than Jaden. When they’d play one-on-one, Jaden had to figure out ways to score against a bigger, stronger opponent. He had to use his brain. Those sessions accelerated the growth of his basketball IQ.

Instead of trying to dunk over everyone when he drives into the lane, the 6-foot-3 guard uses a variety of spins and scoops. He uses the glass. It’s a window into his identity as a player.

“Finding different finishes that work for you,” Bradley said. “Two points is two points at the end of the day as long as you make it.”

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Bradley learned the game from his brother; his dad, Nate Sr.; and a trainer, Jamar Gray, back home in Rochester, New York. (Bradley grew up in Rochester before moving to Concord, North Carolina, between fifth and sixth grade.)

Gray still watches every game Bradley plays. When they work out now, “we’re not just working on stuff,” Bradley said. They work on game scenarios.

I asked him what Gray emphasizes the most.

“Imagination,” Bradley said. “Not just going through the motions. Really visualizing somebody guarding you.”

While waiting to speak to Bradley after a practice last week, I happened to catch a bit of his post-practice regimen. He had two team managers helping him. One would set a screen. Bradley would work off the screen to get in position to take a jumper. The other manager would go under or over the screen — over and over again.

Nothing in Bradley’s statistical profile jumps off the page. He averages 11.9 points per game. He’s fifth in the Big 12 in minutes (33.7 mpg), sixth in steals (1.9 spg), ninth in free throw percentage (83.9%) and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0).

Bradley rarely dunks (four this season, by my count) and he doesn’t shoot a ton of 3-pointers (two attempts per game). When he does shoot a 3, he barely gets off the floor. It resembles a set shot.

If he isn’t flipping the ball off the backboard or drawing fouls, Bradley is pulling up for midrange jumpers — the shot that’s practically been phased out of an increasingly analytics-driven sport.

It doesn’t get more old-school than that.

Bradley described himself as a “fast-paced point guard.” But also: “Fundamental at times, playing off two feet, finding my shooters, just playing the right way.”

Bradley watches film with assistant coach Rem Bakamus of point guards Bakamus worked with at Baylor and Lloyd helped develop at Gonzaga. They also watch film of Steve Nash — who, according to Sports-Reference.com, never dunked during his 18-year NBA career.

Bradley said the player he admired most growing up was Chris Paul — one of the purest playmakers of all time.

The 6-foot Paul has dunked 45 times in 20 NBA seasons (regular season plus playoffs), per Sports-Reference. He has dunked only once in the past nine seasons. He mostly plays below the rim — where Bradley also thrives.

Like the point guards he studies and mimics, Bradley plays fast yet also under control. He has a plan when he drives toward the basket. His moves seem improvisational. They’re actually intentional.

“It definitely depends on the team and how they’re guarding you,” he said. “You watch a lot of film and know what they’re going to do. You have one or two or three moves in your bag that you can go to.”

Bradley’s bag is full of moves — jump stops, reverse layups, delicate bank shots. It doesn’t have many dunks.

But that’s OK. Two point is two points, right?