Washington Wizards Need John Wall, Bradley Beal To Elevate In 2017 NBA Playoffs
By Sununu Bah
Washington Wizards have gotten career seasons from John Wall and Bradley Beal, but they need them to both elevate in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
With the postseason breathing down our necks, the Washington Wizards are firmly locked into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after a historic turnaround from a 2-8 start.
Currently at 49 wins on the season, the Wizards will be entering postseason play with the best record since 1978-79. That season, they won 54 games and although they lost to the Seattle Supersonics, they returned to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season.
If this year’s team hopes to reach that same level of postseason success, their backcourt duo must build on their regular season breakthroughs and take their game to a whole different level.
Walled Out the Drama
Going through perhaps the most drama filled offseason that had little to do with on-court basketball, John Wall had many question his character and desire for the game.
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From hearing him pocket-watching the likes of Reggie Jackson and James Harden to him being criticized for openly admitting that him and Bradley Beal “had a tendency to dislike each other,” Wall cancelled out all the noise and delivered his best season to date.
Wall bumped his scoring average from 19.9 to 23.1 in large part to his free throw shooting.
Not only did he improve his percentage, but he’s gotten to the line more, increasing his trips to the charity stripe by over two per game to 6.8 – a career-high.
Wall has always been a constant for the Washington Wizards, however, his backcourt mate has not due to injuries.
Cured the Panda
After missing nearly 25 percent of his career games coming into the season, Beal is having a remarkable year, putting himself in the running for the Most Improved Player Award.
The fifth-year guard is producing career-highs across the board – points, 3-point shooting, assists – at an efficient rate.
Despite chucking up more field goals, 3-pointers and free-throws per game, Beal is cashing in at 48.2, 40.4 and 82.5 percent respectively.
The Real Deal
Beal has always been known for showing up in big games.
In his first two playoff series, Beal burst onto the national stage and had many proclaiming him as the next best shooting guard.
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He led the team in scoring, averaging 19.2 and 23.2 points per game, and helped them knock off the Chicago Bulls (2014) and sweep the Toronto Raptors (2015) for the team’s first two playoff victories in nearly a decade, all the while being guarded by Jimmy Butler, Paul George and DeMarre Carroll.
Dish and Swish
Arguably, there is no backcourt that complements each other like Wall and Beal. But just like many of the backcourts in the league, they aren’t complete yet.
The duo made some serious strides this season after taking a step back the year before. The key reason for that is confidence and aggressiveness.
Wall must maintain it.
Unlike Beal, Wall seemed flustered in his first two years in the playoffs because his shot was not falling. He took less than 16 shots both years, and shot 36.6 percent and 21.9 percent from the field and 3-point line in 2014. In 2015, he shot 39.1 percent and 17.6 percent from the field and 3-point line.
On the other hand, what made Beal so successful was his willingness to keep shooting even when his shot was not falling.
Although he was shooting a pedestrian 40.5 percent from the field in both playoff series in 2015, he set a playoff career high with 23.4 points because he took 20 shots per game.
Next: Why 50 Wins Is More Important Than Rest For the Wizards
With players falling off as of late, such as Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter, the Washington Wizards need to feed off the energy of their dynamic duo.