Washington Wizards: 3 Reasons Bradley Beal was snubbed from the 2020 All-Star Game
By Ethan Smith
Bradley Beal’s Been Missing
It might not seem like a lot, been when it comes to picking the best of the best, sometimes, it’s the little things that make all the difference.
After struggling slightly with nagging injuries early in his career, Bradley Beal played in all 82 regular-season games for each of the last two seasons. That streak eventually ended in December when Beal missed a few games with leg soreness, then a few more with shoulder issues.
All in all, Beal missed only seven of the Wizards’ first 46 games before the All-Star reserves were announced. But that may have been a few too many. Especially considering what the Wizards were able to do with Beal on the sidelines.
The Wizards went 4-3 in the seven games that their starting shooting guard missed. And three of those four wins came against teams currently bound for the playoffs: the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and Boston Celtics.
Are the Wizards a better team without Bradley Beal? Probably not. But did they get their best wins of the season while he was on the bench? Yes. And their record doesn’t seem to get better the better Beal plays.
We haven’t reached the All-Star break yet and this is already Beal’s most impressive scoring season. But the buckets aren’t translating to wins. Beal has scored 40 or more points six times this season. The Wizards are 1-5 in those games. They’re 8-11 when he scores at least 30 points, and just 11-22 when he scores at least 20.
With a record like that, it is hard to tell just how impactful Beal’s insane scoring streak really is.