Washington Wizards Season Outlook 2016-17: How Bradley Beal Can Justify his Contract

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal got a max contract in the summer and it’s time for him to live up to the high expectations.

Ever since being picked third overall in 2012, Bradley Beal has infuriated Washington Wizards fans.

He has shown enough flashes of his vast potential to receive a five-year, $128 million contract this past off-season, but has not played enough games, or consistently enough in those games, to truly justify the big payday.

Although he has been a solid player since his rookie year, he hasn’t yet made “the jump” into the echelons of stardom.

Last year, in a career-low 55 games, of which only 35 were starts, Beal averaged a career-high 17.3 points per game. However, looking at the big picture, Beal’s stats haven’t improved much since his rookie year. The eye test tells a similar story.

Beal has showed definite flashes that he can be one of the top shooting guards in the league.

After an average 2014-15 season, Beal really exploded in the playoffs, putting up 23.4 points, and over 5 rebounds and 4 assists over ten games.

Already in the previous postseason, Beal had showed that he could perform on the biggest stage, averaging 19.2 points in 11 games as a 20-year-old sophomore going up against two of the NBA’s premier defenses.

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In the subsequent playoffs, he really proved what he could be, combining his scoring output with equally impressive defensive performances against DeMar DeRozan and especially Kyle Korver.

With John Wall injured late in the series against the Hawks, Beal showed an ability to be the primary shot creator on the team, highlighting his showings with a 34-point explosion in a tight Game-4 loss.

Beal’s performances early last season seemed to carry over from the successful run in the playoffs.

He averaged over 22 points per game in the first six games of the year before his first injury – a stretch which included Beal leading the league in fourth quarter points.

These flashes were enough to convince the Washington Wizards’ front office to re-sign their shooting guard.

Beal now has reached his next challenge. He did barely enough to secure the contract he wanted this summer, so now it is time to live up to the price.

His current playing style seems more suited to a third piece on a normal NBA team. Beal is a solid wing defender who spaces the floor on offense.

Beal is clearly comfortable as a catch-and-shoot player, but at his best he has shown the ability to create more for himself.

Despite struggles with injuries, Beal showed signs of awareness last season, eschewing the long two-pointers that were a common sight in 2014-15 and replacing them with more threes, looks at the basket and free throws.

However, he is still not comfortable enough as a primary scoring option, which he needs to be alongside fellow franchise player John Wall.

As the Washington Wizards failed to land a big fish from the free agent pond, Beal’s development is probably the single most important element to the team’s improvement this season.

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One of the keys to Beal, or any NBA shooting guard, becoming a star is being able to score in various fashions.

In addition from being a sharpshooter from downtown, Beal needs to expand his offensive repertoire.

He needs to become comfortable hitting pull-ups off the dribble, attacking the basket, posting up defenders and being the primary ball handler in pick and roll situations.

Although not a bad passer, Beal does still need to improve as an all-around offensive weapon.

Improving his ability to find open teammates is essential to Beal’s continued growth.

Given the contract that Ernie Grunfeld handed Beal this summer, it is not unreasonable to expect the fifth-year guard to replicate his recent playoff showings and surpass 20 points per game. Now that he’s being paid like a top shooting guard, he needs to perform like one.

That also includes improving his relationship with backcourt mate Wall, who at this point is the clear on-court leader and best player in Washington. Beal should become the team’s top scorer this coming year, and he and Wall need to mesh better, at least on the court.

Next: Wizards Still Building Defensive Identity

After all the discussion about whether Beal had done enough to deserve the contract he got, and the ensuing report that Wall was unhappy with his teammate’s new hefty salary, it’s time the Wizards forget about the past. Don’t worry about what Beal has done so far, but rather what he can do moving forward to justify his contract.