Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal made a triumphant return from injury on Thursday night, sealing a 119-112 victory against the New York Knicks. But the injury chapter might not be closed quite yet.
Beal had missed the last three games with hamstring tightness and despite testing his right leg for 29 minutes in last night's contest, there's reason to think that those issues might linger.
The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter was effective, but limited — often favoring the left side of his body and lacking his usual explosiveness attacking the rim.
“It’s more of a mental thing, just being able to take some type of pain, some type of soreness,” Beal told Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “It’s tough with a hamstring because it’s not going to all the way clear up on you. You’re not going to go back to 100 percent, you’re going to have to work through some things. I was able to tolerate some soreness and stiffness and it actually feels a little bit better too.”
Beal's 18-point, five-rebound performance helped the Wizards open up a 27-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but most importantly, it helped open up opportunities for his teammates.
“It definitely opens it up for us. He gets so much attention, I think it helps everybody as far as performing,” third-year forward Otto Porter Jr. said. “We need his ability to create for himself and create for others and knock down shots.”
Despite his constant injuries, the Florida product remains hopeful he'll be able to get through the season with the proper treatment regimen.
“Just continue to do what the trainers have kept me doing. Continue to treat it every day. It’s never over,” Beal said. “An injury like this is always capable of happening again, so it’s important for me to stay on top of it and continue to strengthen it which I’ve been doing so everything’s moving in the right direction.”
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