After one of the most impressive seasons in franchise history, Washington Wizards fans have been wondering for weeks, some for months, whether Bradley Beal would make an All-NBA team. Today, they got their answer.
We’re not even halfway through 2019 and we may have already seen the biggest snub of the year.
Today, the 2019 All-NBA teams were announced and one name that was notably not listed among any of the three teams was that of Bradley Beal.
Washington’s star shooting guard set the league ablaze this season even as the rest of the team around him crumbled. Beal set per game career-highs in nearly all major statistical categories, including minutes, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and points.
Beal was undoubtedly the team’s number one option throughout the year, especially after John Wall sat on the sidelines. Yet he still managed to shoulder the load to the tune of 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game – the franchise’s first 25-5-5 season – despite opponents making him a top priority on the defensive end.
Plus, Beal was simply a workhorse all season. While other stars rested for fourth quarters or whole games, Beal started in all 82 games and led the entire league in minutes played by season’s end.
Even with a historically good individual season, Beal was beaten out by six other guards for the All-NBA spots. James Harden and Steph Curry were named to the first team, while Damian Lillard and Kyire Irving landed on the second team. Russell Westbrook and Kemba Walker finished out the third-team guards. For what it’s worth, Beal received the most votes of any player not named to an All-NBA team.
Even though Beal’s efforts were impressive, he may be being punished for his teammates’ level of play. While his numbers are nice, they didn’t translate to many wins for the Wizards. A 25-5-5 season is great, but the Wizards also lost 50 games this season. Besides Kemba Walker, none of the 15 players named to the three All-NBA teams finished the season with a losing record.
Although it’s disappointing to not see Beal get the respect he deserves as one of the elite guards in the NBA, his omission from these teams may save the Wizards some money down the road. Beal is no longer eligible for a supermax extension this summer which would have cost the Wizards around $194 million. It also would have overlapped with Wall’s supermax extension which will begin next season.