Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal needs to be patient moving forward

Amidst a career year playing for a team trying climb from the bottom, Bradley Beal needs to show the Washington Wizards that he is all in on their future plans.

After back to back career-high scoring nights that ended in losses, it is no surprise that once again the rumors have started to fly in regards to Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards.

After dropping a career-high 53 points on Sunday against the Chicago Bulls, Beal really outdid himself by breaking his career-high one day later. He dropped 55 against the Milwaukee Bucks and looked not only like an All-Star but like an All-NBA player as well.

Now his averages are up to 30.1 points, 6.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

But yet, both games were losses. Back to back 50-point games and back to back losses for the Wizards. As expected, casual NBA twitter started their typical banter for a great player on a sub-par team.

“Get this guy some help!”

“Trade this guy to a place where he can actually compete!”

“He is wasting away his career with them!”

All of these comments that casual fans make are understandable. It is no fun watching a star play for a team not playing well. If Bradley Beal were to convey his unhappiness and ask for a trade, I think most Wizards fans would understand that, as well.

However, when Brad signed his extension, he knew what he was getting himself into. He knew there would be some growing pains, but he also knew that Tommy Sheppard has a plan.

But even if there is a plan in place and light at the end of the tunnel, it is not easy losing as much as the Wizards have lost. So while none of this should be all that surprising to Brad, it still makes sense for him to be upset.

Long Road to Recovery

When Tommy Sheppard took over the team this past summer, he had a lot of cleaning up to do. It was a tall task but Shep has been up for it. He had to prove that he can clean up the mess that his former boss created.

So what did Shep do? He made something out of nothing. He traded what will amount to scraps for Mortiz Wagner, Davis Bertans and Isaac Bonga, all of which have been (and will continue to be) important pieces. He drafted Rui Hachimura, not to be a superstar player, but to be another quality piece for this team moving forward. And so far, he looks like that…and more.

Sheppard has done a lot with very little since taking over and has done a very nice job thus far. However, everything that Shep has done will be contingent on the guy who he wants to be the centerpiece of his mastermind plan, Bradley Beal.

He’s already in his eighth NBA season, but Beal is just 26 years old. He is just entering his prime. Would trading him for a quality package to get a jumpstart on a rebuild be a smart move? Absolutely. But that doesn’t seem to be the Wizards’ plan.

But with a guy who still has a lot of good basketball left in him, why not keep him for yourself? As proven by the contract extension they offered Beal earlier this season, they want to build around him, not without him. John Wall will be 30 years old the next time he takes the floor and coming off of the worst injury you can suffer in basketball. This is not to say he will not come back as a good player, I believe he will. But when he suffered his injury, the passing of the baton occurred.

This is Bradley Beal’s team now.

Beal’s Team Needs Time

With Beal leading the pack while Wall is sidelined, there will be growing pains. Brad has voiced his frustrations with the team and said he wants to win now. He has also said that he is up for the challenge of being the face of a rebuild. Teams that go through a rebuild or a retool or whatever you want to call it will always have some issues along the way. Players will voice their frustrations and things will need to be worked out. Beal’s complaints aren’t anything we haven’t seen elsewhere.

However, most rebuilding teams do not have two All-Stars on their rosters.

We all realize that Brad wants to win. What NBA player doesn’t? But this plan will take a little bit of time. Even with Sheps ‘retool on the fly’ ideology, losses will still pile up, but it’s all about patience. And if Beal’s lucky, he won’t have to be patient for too much longer.

I think many people, both inside and outside the Wizards organization, assume that next season the Wizards will be back in the mix. Until then, Tommy Sheppard will do everything he can to make that happen. He will try and re-sign Davis Bertans, use their lottery pick on a player who can come in and contribute quickly, and use the MLE to his full advantage.

Even with two max players signed for next season, the Wizards will still have some flexibility this summer.

Looking Ahead

If the Wizards come out next year and underperform and Beal asks for a trade, it all will be understood for everyone involved. But taking a shot is what the Wiz should do before committing to a hard reset. Brad and John at full strength have shown they can win in the East before. Beal’s much better now. But so is the rest of the East.

Will they be able to rely on Wall as much as they have in the past? Probably not. But they have also never had a fully healthy John Wall playing next to this version of Bradley Beal. They have also never had a player of Davis Bertans’ caliber next to their elite backcourt. They have also never had the bench depth that they currently have. The injury brings uncertainty, but there are many things working in Washington’s favor.

I know that the Washington Wizards are losing a lot of games right now and it’s frustrating. But they are moving in the right direction. If Beal can wait things out, he will get to be the guy on a team that has the potential to make some noise in the next few seasons. It is easier said than done and it will be important for Beal to avoid bad habits in the meantime. But it can be done.

They say good things come to those who wait. If Brad can hold out a little bit longer, he will see Tommy Sheppard’s plan come to fruition. I think deep down that’s what the fans want and, more importantly, I think that’s what Bradley Beal wants.

It will just take a little bit of patience.