Bradley Beal - Part II

[miller31time]

It's sad that we have to rely on members of the media to put pressure on Beal to take more threes and less mid range shots. God knows our head coach won't do it.

You may be right about Witt and the other coaches not putting pressure on Beal to take more 3s...then again you may be wrong. None of us know for sure what Witt is instructing Beal to do...at least I don't.

In all fairness, very little regarding what gets discussed on message boards is factual but if an opinion can be based on a good amount of relevant situational evidence, I feel like it's ok to post it without the disclaimer "This may be wrong, but I doubt it."

[gambitx777]

I like beal I feel that with some proper guidance he can be a top 2 guard. But if we wanted to offer, Gortat, Beal, Miller, 2016 and 2018 unprotected picks for Cousins, Thompson, Sessions, would probably get it done. then you try to work some magic and move webster and thompson, to a team in need of vet's like the sixers, orlando, or something of that nature. Cut gooden, hope that sessions can get back to normal or try to get another back up point guard. then bring in a couple 2's off the street like Allen and Curry and make a push.

That being said I don't want to or see us trading beal.

[Illmatic12]

I like beal I feel that with some proper guidance he can be a top 2 guard. But if we wanted to offer, Gortat, Beal, Miller, 2016 and 2018 unprotected picks for Cousins, Thompson, Sessions, would probably get it done. then you try to work some magic and move webster and thompson, to a team in need of vet's like the sixers, orlando, or something of that nature. Cut gooden, hope that sessions can get back to normal or try to get another back up point guard. then bring in a couple 2's off the street like Allen and Curry and make a push.

That being said I don't want to or see us trading beal.

I agree that you try to get Boogie any way you can (short of giving up Wall) but why the heck would SAC trade Cousins right now??? It's just pointless to discuss unless there are legit rumors that he is on the market.

I remember people saying we should trade Beal for Love though, thank god we didn't do that. He's not a dominant game-changer like Boogie

[tontoz]

Beal has always sucked on long 2s. He is just taking it to a new low this year.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... rder_by=fg

[tontoz]

Given that the Wizards take more 2 point jumpers than any team in the league i think we can take a pretty good guess at what Witt is telling Beal.

[hands11]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jorgeccastillo/status/560163015362752512[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Truth_About_It/status/560164707471208449[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Truth_About_It/status/560165339200491520[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Truth_About_It/status/560166306520260608[/tweet]

Oh Bradley Bradley Bradley

Get uncomforable dude.

Get back to pumping up some more threes.

You're good at it. And they are worth more pts.

Do what you do bro

[hands11]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jorgeccastillo/status/560163015362752512[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Truth_About_It/status/560164707471208449[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Truth_About_It/status/560165339200491520[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Truth_About_It/status/560166306520260608[/tweet]

While he should clearly take more 3's - and part of that is coaching, it's completely on Beal that he's shooting such a low percentage on his 2's. He misses way too many open 2's that should be like layups for him. He needs to focus when he shoots them and stop being so bleeping lazy.

Interestingly enough, this interview was just posted today and Bradley says here himself that often times when he receives the ball his feet are not set (BIG no-no for shooters)

@0:15

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xOLstmGat8[/youtube]

"It's just an instinct, however I catch the ball is how I shoot it"

You can't have an instinct for something you haven't practiced enough. This speaks to what I've said in the past, which is that even though Beal has great natural shooting ability he needs to develop a better routine for practicing in-game shots. You look at a great shooter like Ray Allen, he wasn't just like 'whatever' when it came to stuff like that, his footwork and technique were down to a science.

I think it's foolish to think that Beal can never improve on this though (not responding to you but I saw a post saying that on this page). The kid is obviously a great shooter. In fact I'd bet he swishes down all those midrange jumpers in team practices, scrimmages, pickup games etc. He just needs to understand that you can't just expect to go off natural talent in the NBA, you have to be diligent and develop a strict routine for working on the exact shots you take in the games. When he shoots threes he's locked in and automatic. But when he shoots the long twos, it's obvious that he just kinda lazily chucks them up there.

If he's gonna take a shot in a game, he should have taken it in practice 100s of times already from that exact spot. You can tell that Wall has done this with his midrange jumper, that's why he looks so much more comfortable/automatic shooting them than Beal. The thing is, Wall has been working on that shot for 4-5 offseasons now. Beal needs to match Wall's work ethic and put in that same amount of work, even if he thinks he is supposedly is a much better shooter than John is.

This is one area Ray Allen would fix. Just to bad our coaches can't.

I expect he will get better. I would also expect Webster could help him as he ramps up and is now practicing again.

But again.

Wall has Miller and had Sam
Otto has Paul and have TA.
Kevin has Nene, Hump and Gortat

Beal hasn't had a top line SG mentor yet. Only Webster who isn't a SG and Rasual who isn't really one either. Nor is Temple.

That's one thing I like a lot about adding Ray Allen. He could really help Beal a lot beside giving us another 3 ball shooter.

[J-Ves]

Beal has always sucked on long 2s. He is just taking it to a new low this year.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... rder_by=fg

This is hard to believe on multiple levels. First, how can we explain the change from bad mid range shooter to a terrible one this year? Especially since he showed some improvement from year 1 to year 2. You would think a player with such a perfect looking jumper could hit close to .400 by year 3, but instead the opposite happened and he has regressed. Second, how can a coaching staff see his inability to hit these shots over a long period of time(165 games) and still encourage him to take them? Just .

[hands11]

It's sad that we have to rely on members of the media to put pressure on Beal to take more threes and less mid range shots. God knows our head coach won't do it.

You may be right about Witt and the other coaches not putting pressure on Beal to take more 3s...then again you may be wrong. None of us know for sure what Witt is instructing Beal to do...at least I don't.

In all fairness, very little regarding what gets discussed on message boards is factual but if an opinion can be based on a good amount of relevant situational evidence, I feel like it's ok to post it without the disclaimer "This may be wrong, but I doubt it."

Randy isn't shy about voicing his priorities. If he wanted Beal and other taking more 3s, you can be sure we would hear him say it.

[hands11]

Given that the Wizards take more 2 point jumpers than any team in the league i think we can take a pretty good guess at what Witt is telling Beal.

He is telling him what we have heard from his own mouth.

TAKE THE OPEN SHOT.
Limiting turnover is Randy's key, not taking 3s. His view is 2 or 3 doesn't matter if by limiting turnovers you get more shots. You will make it up in volume. Problem is, if they are turning it over, which they do often, then you can't make it up in volume and since 3 is more then 2, you have very little wiggle room to pull away from a team and you will likely lose you lead with them putting up 25 threes.

Limited turnover and top 5 defense. That is what Randy wants.

He doesn't care what shot they take as long as it is open.

That's just Randy.

[payitforward]

Limiting turnover is Randy's key, not taking 3s. His view is 2 or 3 doesn't matter if by limiting turnovers you get more shots. You will make it up in volume. Problem is, if they are turning it over, which they do often, then you can't make it up in volume and since 3 is more then 2, you have very little wiggle room to pull away from a team and you will likely lose you lead with them putting up 25 threes.

Limited turnover and top 5 defense. That is what Randy wants.

He doesn't care what shot they take as long as it is open.

That's just Randy.

There's nothing wrong w/ "limited turnovers & top 5 defense" And there's no doubt that the more shots you get the better your chance to win.

But no coach only wants one thing. He would still be able to internalize the fact that 3-pointers are more efficient shots than 2-pointers. If he can start a string of restaurants, he can do the math!

So, the real question is *why??* Why doesn't he see that he needs to *stop* coaching for "the open shot the defense gives you." Why would the defense give you the shot that's best for *your* team?

As to that string of restaurants he has, does anyone know where they are? We need to set up a picket line outside those restaurants! It's criminal the way he uses Beal.

That said, Ruz is right that it's on Beal -- but I think it's on him to receive the ball ready to shoot, and it's on him to shoot the blasted 3s! Is Randy going to take him off the floor if he shoots more of them at a 44% clip? I don't think so.

[Illmatic12]

Beal has always sucked on long 2s. He is just taking it to a new low this year.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... rder_by=fg

This is hard to believe on multiple levels. First, how can we explain the change from bad mid range shooter to a terrible one this year? Especially since he showed some improvement from year 1 to year 2. You would think a player with such a perfect looking jumper could hit close to .400 by year 3, but instead the opposite happened and he has regressed. Second, how can a coaching staff see his inability to hit these shots over a long period of time(165 games) and still encourage him to take them? Just .

Why do people have to reach to put everything on Wittman?

Many of the shots Beal is missing are open. Not all of them, some are contested. But a good amount of those shots are open and I see other run-of-the-mill NBA guards like Avery Bradley, Jarrett Jack etc knocking them down on a regular basis. Heck even Wall knocks down his midrange jumpers at a much higher rate than Beal does from those same spots.

Stop blaming Witttman because Beal hasn't put in enough work on shooting wide open NBA jumpers. He needs to get his butt in the gym this offseason with his personal trainers and take 1000s of them until it's automatic. Beal has enough shooting potential that he shouldn't be instructed to completely abandon those shots. In fact, his ability to get hot and hit midrange jumpers is largely what's helped us beat the Bulls almost every time we've faced them going back to last years playoffs.


Imo there's going to be a future payoff to Beal learning how to take and make those shots proficiently. He just needs to find the mental balance in his head between how good he is at certain shots on the floor, vs how many he should be taking, whether he should step back and take the three, etc. It will look ugly for a while until he figures it out. Fortunately, it's okay if a 21yo 's game looks ugly because they still have 4-5 years before they even reach their prime.

Klay Thompson (who is looking like the #1 off-ball SG in the game right now) is turning 25 next week, Beal is just 21 and making major contributions to a 50+ win playoff team. Think about that.

[Illmatic12]

Perfect example- we moaned and groaned all last season when Wall chucked a ton of midrange jumpers at a mediocre %, this year he's knocking them down and shooting damn near 47% from the field (and I could pull up past quotes from posters in this very forum declaring that we shouldn't expect John to ever shoot above 43-44%fg at best).

On the flipside despite shooting threes at league average 35% last season, Wall stopped shooting threes this season for whatever reason. But now that he finally has his midrange game down, he can reincorporate the three ball this summer and come in next season as a complete and efficient offensive player.

Players take time to figure things out, and rarely is it a direct linear progression. It's the Malcom Gladwell 10,000-hours theory. Wall sucked at shooting, spent 10,000 hours (or whatever) on his jumpshot and eventually he became fairly proficient at it. Bradley Beal simply hasn't been in the league long enough - and remember that he lost several offseasons due to injury and the lockout- to have put in '10,000' hours on his midrange jumpshot. This is why I'm willing to give him time instead of b****ing that his game isn't complete at 21yo.

[J-Ves]

Beal has always sucked on long 2s. He is just taking it to a new low this year.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... rder_by=fg

This is hard to believe on multiple levels. First, how can we explain the change from bad mid range shooter to a terrible one this year? Especially since he showed some improvement from year 1 to year 2. You would think a player with such a perfect looking jumper could hit close to .400 by year 3, but instead the opposite happened and he has regressed. Second, how can a coaching staff see his inability to hit these shots over a long period of time(165 games) and still encourage him to take them? Just .

Why do people have to reach to put everything on Wittman?

Many of the shots Beal is missing are open. Not all of them, some are contested. But a good amount of those shots are open and I see other run-of-the-mill NBA guards like Avery Bradley, Jarrett Jack etc knocking them down on a regular basis. Heck even Wall knocks down his midrange jumpers at a much higher rate than Beal does from those same spots.

Stop blaming Witttman because Beal hasn't put in enough work on shooting wide open NBA jumpers. He needs to get his butt in the gym this offseason with his personal trainers and take 1000s of them until it's automatic. Beal has enough shooting potential that he shouldn't be instructed to completely abandon those shots. In fact, his ability to get hot and hit midrange jumpers is largely what's helped us beat the Bulls almost every time we've faced them going back to last years playoffs.


Imo there's going to be a future payoff to Beal learning how to take and make those shots proficiently. He just needs to find the mental balance in his head between how good he is at certain shots on the floor, vs how many he should be taking, whether he should step back and take the three, etc. It will look ugly for a while until he figures it out. Fortunately, it's okay if a 21yo 's game looks ugly because they still have 4-5 years before they even reach their prime.

Klay Thompson (who is looking like the #1 off-ball SG in the game right now) is turning 25 next week, Beal is just 21 and making major contributions to a 50+ win playoff team. Think about that.

Good points. I didn't mean to put it all on Witt, just on the entire coaching staff in general. In fact Witt is my favorite Wiz coach since I became a fan about 12 years ago. He preaches defense and does a good job managing minutes. As I've said before, If EFJ (or even Thibs)was the HC Wall and Beal would be averaging 42 minutes a game and would probably break down by seasons end.

[Induveca]

Limiting turnover is Randy's key, not taking 3s. His view is 2 or 3 doesn't matter if by limiting turnovers you get more shots. You will make it up in volume. Problem is, if they are turning it over, which they do often, then you can't make it up in volume and since 3 is more then 2, you have very little wiggle room to pull away from a team and you will likely lose you lead with them putting up 25 threes.

Limited turnover and top 5 defense. That is what Randy wants.

He doesn't care what shot they take as long as it is open.

That's just Randy.

As to that string of restaurants he has, does anyone know where they are? We need to set up a picket line outside those restaurants! It's criminal the way he uses Beal.

Jills and Jocks, Atlanta area. At one point there were over 10. Ha. I'd prefer to watch long twos than visit/picket in Atlanta.

[DCZards]

Why do people have to reach to put everything on Wittman?

Many of the shots Beal is missing are open. Not all of them, some are contested. But a good amount of those shots are open and I see other run-of-the-mill NBA guards like Avery Bradley, Jarrett Jack etc knocking them down on a regular basis. Heck even Wall knocks down his midrange jumpers at a much higher rate than Beal does from those same spots.

Agreed. I don't know why people *itch and moan about Beal taking open short and midrange jumpers and blame Witt for coaching his players to take that shot. That's a shot that Beal should be making at least 50% of the time. The short to midrange jumper has been Chris Paul's go-to-shot for years...and the last time I looked he's had a pretty good career.

[dckingsfan]

I would just give Brad one more year (one healthy off-season anyway) to sharpen those aspects of his game - still a baby.

[Darko Miliminutes]

In his head guys. Has nothing to do with putting in time, working on his jumper...LOL! Anyone really think this guys doesn't work on his jumper.

The number 1 thing in world class athletics, is the mental game. The kid is simply growing up.

Needs to stop being lazy, and work on his jumper...LOLOLOLOl

[Illmatic12]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guIJdZTuUow[/youtube]

^Great game for Brad, probably his best all season. He was taking it to the hole and putting pressure on the defense, plus finding his spots beyond the arc.

And also important, this was the first game in a while where I felt like Wall and Beal both played at a star level IN THE SAME GAME. Usually Beal is content with taking a backseat, I want to see him continue to play with that edge like Klay Thompson is doing this year. He's like 3-4 years younger than Klay, it's crazy

[nate33]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guIJdZTuUow[/youtube]

^Great game for Brad, probably his best all season. He was taking it to the hole and putting pressure on the defense, plus finding his spots beyond the arc.

And also important, this was the first game in a while where I felt like Wall and Beal both played at a star level IN THE SAME GAME. Usually Beal is content with taking a backseat, I want to see him continue to play with that edge like Klay Thompson is doing this year. He's like 3-4 years younger than Klay, it's crazy

His best shot was at the :59 mark because it was a quick release three with a hand in his face. He needs to take more of these rather than turning them down and stepping in for a long 2.