Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal Hasn’t Been Worth The Max Contract
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal received a max contract in the off-season but he’s yet to earn that money this season.
Bradley Beal inked a $128 million max contract extension with the Washington Wizards this past summer, making him the highest paid player in the organization’s history.
While his talent is unquestioned, his inability to stay healthy made some wonder whether or not the deal will come back to bite the Wizards, who’ve signed similar deals in the past that failed to pan out.
Beal played just 55 games last season and didn’t make the leap most expected him to make.
After pronouncing John Wall and himself the best backcourt in the NBA, Beal wasn’t around to help his All-Star teammate on the court. He spent most of his time on the bench recovering from injury.
John Wall put up a career-high 20 points and 10 assists last season, but without Beal, he was forced to carry the team alone – just as he’s done since 2010.
Washington went on to miss the playoffs, but the team remained hopeful that Beal would make that leap in the upcoming season.
This season, Beal is averaging a career-high 21 points on 42 percent shooting from deep.
Still, we’re waiting for him to make “the leap.”
The Wizards are sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and tickets to games cost less than the free chicken sandwiches the fans get in attendance.
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The Verizon Center has been so empty that fans could probably move around the stadium without any hindrance whatsoever.
The team’s lack of wins – they’re currently rocking with 7 – hasn’t inspired fans to visit the team at home.
Beal’s absence, once again, has played a role.
He missed three straight games due to a minor hamstring injury, causing the team to slip further down the standings.
Even though he obviously cannot control his injury status, he’s yet to prove that he can stay healthy for an entire season.
Wall has played alone again and Tuesday was the perfect example of that. He scored 52 points and still managed to lose at home. The effort displayed by his teammates was embarrassing.
Beal has put up some impressive numbers earlier this season, scoring 30 or more points in consecutive matchups against the Phoenix Suns, and then again in November’s meeting against the Orlando Magic.
But as former Wizard Paul Pierce and future Hall-of-famer advised both Beal and Wall: “do you want to be good or do you want to be great? if you want to be great, you gotta do it every single night, not just when you feel like it.”
Now that Beal has his money, he has to show up every single night – not just when he feels like it. The inconsistency in his performances has been incredibly disappointing.
In Tuesday’s loss against the Magic, Beal only put up 19 points, while Wall carried the team for 40+ minutes.
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Beal missed key shots, including a dunk late in the game that could’ve given Washington a chance to come back.
In his post-game interview, Wall admonished his team.
“Our job is to come here and play hard and compete,” Wall said.
“That’s the easiest thing that you should do without any contracts or any money, just come in and play basketball.”
Wall was the only one who showed his face and spoke to the media after Washington’s embarrassing loss to the Magic.
The season – just 20 games in – is already spiraling out of control for the Washington Wizards.
Beal, whom they paid $128 million this off-season, hasn’t lived up to expectations every single night.
He needs to start showing up every game and not leave Wall out on the floor alone.
As Wall said in the past, Beal has to earn the contract – something he’s yet to do.
“All I’m saying is let him earn it,” Wall said. “I didn’t deserve it until I went out and made the All-Star Game and then they said, ‘All right, he earned it.’ Let him earn it. I had to earn mine.”
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If Beal fails to earn his money soon, the Washington Wizards are going to miss the playoffs again – setting the franchise back even more.