- CLUTCH SUMMARY: Washington Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal is coming off the best season of his career.
- Beal will have an opportunity to put up even bigger numbers with John Wall set to miss the entire 2019-20 NBA season.
- Beal has established himself as a top-three shooting guard in the NBA.
As we trek through the dog days of summer, the time is ripe for NBA fans to debate anything and everything, from players to teams to coaches and whatever else. We're riding the bandwagon, and for this exercise we decided to focus our attention on Washington Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal and examine where he ranks among the league's best shooting guards.
Beal is undoubtedly one of the best players in the league right now, and John Wall's unfortunate injury just brought out an even better version of him, which we saw in the final stretch of last season. With Wall expected to miss all of the 2019-20 season, Beal is once again expected to lead the Wizards into the future, assuming Washington stays strong and doesn't decide to trade him.
Last season, Beal averaged 25.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 82 games for the Wizards. He also shot the ball really well with a 47 percent clip from the field and a 35 percent mark from beyond the arc. A full season without Wall might mean that these numbers will go up for the two-time All-Star, who is slowly but surely making a name for himself as one of the NBA's elite shooting guards.
The question is: just how good is Bradley Beal when compared to the other shooting guards in the league?
Well, we're putting him as the third-best player at his position behind Houston Rockets star James Harden and Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson (when healthy). You can make a case that Beal is better than Thompson, but Klay gets the edge because he's one of the best shooters of all time while also a terrific two-way player.
There are a few young players who might have something to say about this in the very near future. For example, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is on the rise, and he even had better counting stats than Beal. Booker averaged 26.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds, but one factor that hurt his case is the fact that he only played 64 games for a god-awful Suns squad.
Another young star is Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. While he has the potential to be one of the best players in the league, that time hasn't come just yet. In his first two seasons in the league, Mitchell has shown the ability to take over a game, especially when the stakes are high. But there have been times where he has struggled to find his rhythm. Consistency is one of the biggest weaknesses of Mitchell's game, and if he can improve that, he will take his game to the next level.
On the other hand, Beal has found that consistency over the last few seasons, even showing growth in his game as he becomes a better all-around player. His defense still isn't great and holds him back from moving up higher in the ranks, but that shouldn't discredit him too much. Beal has proven he has a lot more to put on display, so let’s just all sit back and bear witness.
***
Bradley Beal did his best to help the Wizards win as many games as possible last season, refusing to tank, even though it would've helped them land a better pick in June's draft. Washington has also decided to start embracing him as the face of the franchise, which is why they have refused to put him on the trading block.
Beal will have an even bigger chip on his shoulder this coming season as he hopes to lead the Wizards back to the playoffs. He knows what's needed from him, and he'll definitely be locked, loaded, and ready to deliver the goods for his team. The time has come for him to put some spotlight on his name and his game.
Follow Us
Subscribe