Bradley Beal isn’t playing in the bubble with the Washington Wizards, but he’s still the center of the conversation.
About 14 months ago, we were all reacting to Bradley Beal being snubbed from the 2019 All-NBA teams. A little less than six months ago, his All-Star snub was the talk of the town. Now, it looks like the Washington Wizards’ star shooting guard is in danger of some more snubbery.
All-NBA ballots were due by July 28, so by now, the votes are in. Things are a little bit different this year. Since not all teams are competing in Orlando to determine playoff seeding, the final eight “regular season” games won’t count towards end of the year awards like MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and the All-NBA teams.
Bradley Beal put up All-NBA numbers. Where are the All-NBA votes?
A few brave souls have shared their All-NBA votes and so far, Beal has been noticeably missing. Usually one to handle the snubs well (he must be used to them by now, unfortunately), Beal hasn’t stayed silent as his vote total fails to climb. Just take a look at some of his tweets.
— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) July 29, 2020
Beal’s pissed, and he has reason to be. His numbers have been absolutely insane this season. After 64 games, of which Beal played in 57, he finished the season averaging 30.5 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.2 rebounds on 45.5 percent shooting from the field.
It wasn’t another 25-5-5 season for Beal, but those are All-NBA numbers. Sixteen times in NBA history, a player has averaged at least 30 points, six assists, and four rebounds on 45 percent shooting or better for an entire season. All sixteen of those seasons ended in a 1st-team All-NBA selection. Beal’s in good company, too. All seven men who have finished with those averages are Hall of Famers or future locks: Oscar Robertson (5x), Jerry West (2x), Rick Barry, Michael Jordan (3x), LeBron James (2x), Dwyane Wade, and Steph Curry.
Never in the history of the NBA has a player averaged what Beal did this season and missed out on the first-team All-NBA. But forget first-team, Beal might not make any team! And that doesn’t make sense.
Beal’s stats match up with what has historically been an All-NBA season. His place among his peers, especially in the scoring category, would usually be enough to secure him an All-NBA nod, too.
After that inexplicable All-Star snub earlier this season, Beal was a shooting guard possessed, unstoppable no matter the opponent or the city. He tallied 21-consecutive 25-point games (a franchise record), put up back-to-back 50-point games, and dominated defenses across the country.
Beal finished the season ranked second among all scorers in points per game, trailing only James Harden (34.4 ppg). Since the 2000-01 season, the NBA’s second-leading scorer has been named first-team All-NBA twelve times, second-team once, and third-team thrice. That leaves just three times in the last 19 season in which the league’s second-leading scorer was omitted from the All-NBA teams: Jerry Stackhouse (00-01), Carmelo Anthony (13-14), and James Harden (15-16).
But Beal’s scoring output was doubly impressive, not just because of how high he ranked. His midseason tear catapulted him up the league leaders list, but it also helped him cross the 30 ppg threshold.
70 times in NBA history, a player has averaged at least 30 points for an entire season. Only five times have they not been rewarded with an All-NBA selection.
Given the ballots we’ve seen floating around the internet from Zach Lowe, John Hollinger, Kevin O’Connor, et al., Beal’s All-NBA chances aren’t looking great. Even though his numbers are All-NBA without a doubt. Now we wait.