Yes, the other night when the Washington Wizards lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers that was out right embarrassing.
John Wall only scored 1 point and very well may have played the worst basketball game of his entire career. Losing Monday night against the Indiana Pacers was a easier one to digest, not just because Wall didn’t play, but because of Bradley Beal‘s dominance over the last 5 games.
The Washington Wizards are now 3-2 in their last 5 games and have been playing pretty decent basketball, thanks in turn to Beal. This 5 game stand has shed some light on the position the Wizards could possibly take, making the playoffs. One answer: Beal
Over the past 5 games, Beal has been averaging 28.4 points per game. Wall being in or out of the lineup hasn’t affected how aggressive Beal is playing. He’s asserting himself as the leader of the Wizards on the court.
What does all this mean?
In the past, Beal has shown flashes of what he’s capable of if he could take his game to the next level, which is elite basketball. Watching the past couple of games and his assertiveness on the court, put things into perspective.
If Beal continues to play with this attitude and level the Wizards will make the playoffs and could push teams around. Remember Beal is 25 years old and heading into his prime, which means his game is going to continue to grow at a fast pace. His ceiling has no limit right now.
The Wizards currently sit 1 game back of the 8th seed and 3 games back of 6th. They aren’t even at the all-start break yet, if this is the Beal we are going to continue to see night in and night out, than the Eastern conference can’t write the Wizards off.
Yes, having Wall on the team can deter the bus from the straight and narrow at times, but even he is a pass first point guard who will gladly give the ball to Beal if he continues to play at this level. The addition of Tomas Satoransky in the starting lineup, gives Beal another ball distributor, which only works in his favor.
The whole state of Maryland and the rest of the basketball fans in D.C know Beal is the best player on the Wizards, but perhaps the team is starting to understand that concept as well.
What if Beal continues to assert himself and Wall becomes the compliment piece to Beal? His 1A-to-1B instead of vice versa? Things could get cookin in the District fast.