Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal moves into second on all-time scoring list
By Ethan Smith
Bradley Beal will go down as a Washington Wizards legend, and he’s not done yet.
Bradley Beal‘s name is all over the Washington Wizards’ career leaders list. Per Basketball-Reference, he’s currently seventh in steals and field goal attempts and sixth in assists and field goals made. Each game, he’s padding his own lead as the franchise leader in three-pointers attempted and made.
And after a career-high 53-point performance in the Wizards’ 126-117 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Beal has cemented himself as one of the franchise’s greatest scorers ever. He is now in second place on the list of the franchise’s all-time leading scorers. Currently, Beal has 11,103 points in his Wizards career, trailing only Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes, who scored 15,551 points in a Bullets uniform.
Beal has a long way to go if he wants to reach the number one spot, but his rise during his eighth Wizards season has been incredibly impressive. Through 55 games, Beal has scored 1,419 points this season and passed names like John Wall, Wes Unseld, and finally Jeff Malone on his way to #2.
To say Beal’s been on a scoring tear this season is putting it lightly. It hasn’t all been great on the offensive end. Beal’s struggled to balance playmaking and hero ball at times, and his efficiency is down this season. But from a pure production standpoint, few other players in the NBA are performing at his level.
53 points are the most Beal has ever scored in his career. But totals in that neighborhood haven’t been uncommon. He’s now scored 40 or more points in eight games this season after doing it just five times in his previous seven seasons. Only James Harden and Trae Young have more 40-point games this season.
This season, Beal is averaging career-highs in points (29.5), assists (6.0), and field goal attempts (22.2) per game.
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If the Wizards want to make a real playoff push like they’ve been talking about, they’ll need Beal to keep putting up insane numbers. It’s no secret that the Wizards can’t rely on their defense to win games. So more night than not, they’re trying to outscore their opponents.
Playoffs or not, Beal is leaving no doubt that he is now one of the NBA’s best scorers, and one of the best to ever do it for the only NBA franchise he’s ever known. Now second in scoring, he’s certainly got the numbers to back that statement up.