The Washington Wizards face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in Game 2 of their first-round series matchup. Bradley Beal had a tremendous performance in Game 1 as the Wizards were edged out by the Sixers, 125-118, and as it turns out, the Wizards star had a few things to say about the defense of Ben Simmons.
Beal was brutally honest about how Simmons' defense influenced the game, as the Wizards shooting guard tried to put into words just how tough it is to match up against Simmons:
“He’s six-ten, and I’m six-three,” said the Wizards stud, via Justin Grasso of SI.com. “I think that’s pretty simple. He’s a big guy, and he plays guard. It’s not like he’s a power forward or a center guarding me. He’s very mobile, agile, and he’s strong. I think that propels him. And he wants to play defense — he’s a willing defender. You don’t always see that, and he uses it to his advantage.”
Simmons has emerged as one of the best defenders in the NBA today. So much so, that the Sixers guard was named as a finalist for this season's Defensive Player of the Year award — something that Simmons himself apparently does not care for very much.
Then again, it is worth noting that Beal was still able to drop 33 points against Simmons and the Sixers in Game 1. The Wizards All-Star was also efficient from the field, making 13-of-23 of his shots on the evening. Beal was limited from distance, though, going just 1-of-6 from the three-point line.
The individual matchup between Ben Simmons and Bradley Beal is definitely something to keep an eye on not only for Game 2, but for the rest of the Wizards-Sixers series as well.
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