The Future of Bradley Beal

Author: Ian Kayanja

Editor: Mark Awadallah

The Washington Wizards are struggling, and though it may be a new NBA season, some things never change. After making a trade for Russell Westbrook in the offseason, Washington now sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for the second consecutive season. The Wizards’ struggles come at the expense of Bradley Beal, who currently leads the league in points per game (35). On social media, NBA fans from across the league continue to tweet out, “free Beal”. However, the one question routinely missed is that if the Wizards are performing below average with Beal as the star, is Beal really a winning player?

Looking at the numbers, on the year, Beal is averaging 35.4 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from the three. To add he is dishing out five assists and grabbing five rebounds. Offensively, he has provided everything the Wizards need to win games. Yet, the team has struggled to compete against other NBA teams on a nightly basis. Beal’s teammates recognize that he is trying, but still the Wizards cannot remain competitive in most games. “He’s doing everything,” Garrison Mathews said post game. “We have to step up and help him out. He’s the best scorer in the league. And when you got that, it should make the rest of our job easier. But we have to step up.”

The Wizards have faced adversity head on to start the season. Westbrook hasn’t played well for a good portion of the season, Washington missed two straight weeks due to COVID-19 contract tracing, and the team lost its starting center for the season to a torn ACL. In every way, the Wizards can’t catch a break, and neither can its star player Beal. But what exactly is Beal’s mindset while he plays with the Wizards?

Regardless of Washington’s record, what is impressive is Beal’s approach to the game this season. After the game Wednesday, Beal said he doesn’t look to score 40 or 50, he just fills whatever need the team has that night. That’s a mark of a player laced with maturity. Too often, stars in the league aim to get their own numbers, forgetting about the importance of the team. It’s about building a brand, crafting your stage, being the man. For Beal, it seems like it’s not. His gaudy numbers and averages aren’t a statement to the league of how good he is as a player. Instead, it’s about how bad his team has been throughout the season. “I try to come out and play with energy every night,” Beal said. “This is not who we are. We are better than that.” What has been noted recently was Beal’s sideline body language. I am sure by now you have seen the photos of him dejected, upset, and frustrated. This is something he must work on as a team leader. He admitted this himself after the game saying, “I got to be better with that. I am mad about losing. If I am sitting over there laughing and smiling, then the media is going to twist it.”

The issue for the Wizards is their on-court production, it’s dismal now and they must try finding a way start winning games and bringing more prestige to their team’s name. Unfortunately, the answer for the Wizards’ problems seems like a structural one. The organization brought in players with overlapping skillsets. Westbrook’s ineffectiveness as a jump shooter has handicapped the Wizards’ offense. And Scott Brooks’ limited coaching capacity has clipped Washington’s wings. The future for the Wizards is simply not that bright. I don’t say that to take away from what Beal can do as a player individually. However, only a few can take a roster so limited, so frustrating, so bad and turn it into gold. Asking Beal to lead this team to elite contention is asking him to be on LeBron James’ level as a player, and unfortunately not everyone can be that guy.

Beal is a winner, but he isn’t a generational player. If anything, he is the second-best player on a contending team. Offensively he can lead you in scoring, but he can’t make his teammates better. That is not an indictment on him, but rather just the reality of the situation. The only way forward for Washington has to be exploring trades to add depth or exploring trades to move Beal.

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