After just one season, Davis Bertans could shoot his way into the Washington Wizards’ record book.
They say you only get one chance at a first impression. Well, Davis Bertans has absolutely nailed his first impression/season with the Wizards.
In 54 games with the Washington Wizards, Davis Bertans has made 200 three-point field goals. Before the season was put on hold, it looked like Bertans would breeze past the franchise’s single-season record set by Beal in 2016-17. Beal made 223 three’s that season. Bertans was on pace to make 267.
Luckily, with news that the NBA will restart and finish the season in Orlando, Bertans will have a shot to pass Beal after all. The proposed end-of-season plan gives Bertans eight more games to hoist up as many threes as it takes to catch Beal.
Davis Bertans is ready to knock Bradley Beal out of the record books.
If Bertans can stick to his season average of 3.7 made three-pointers each game, then he will make 229 threes when things are all said and done. That’s six more than Beal’s current record.
But there are a few things to consider. Bertans hasn’t played real NBA minutes since early March. He’ll have over four months of rust to shake off when play starts back up. Hopefully, a short training camp can help with that, though.
Also, Bertans will also have to make the record-breaking and season-ending run against stiffer competition than he might have expected. While Bertnas probably won’t be the only out-of-practice baller in Orlando, he will be facing the best the NBA has to offer. No cellar-dwellers in Orlando means no easy wins.
Instead, he’ll face better defenses and more intense defenses.
The final eight games might not be all that pretty as teams ease back into regular gameplay, but expect them to be hard-fought. Playoff seeding (and playoff lives, for some) will be on the line.
It’ll definitely be a tough challenge for Bertans. He’ll have fewer games to work with than he technically should and he has to deal with a funky four-month hiatus. But if we’ve seen anything from Bertans this season, it’s that he never backs down from a challenge.
Oh, and he’s really good from behind the arc. Two things that should help him secure his legacy as one of the franchise’s most elite shooters ever.
Record or not, with each made three, Bertans is making it harder and hard for the Wizards to justify letting him go. No matter what his price ends up being this summer.