Bradley Beal

AWIZZINGBULLET · Post #241 » by **AWIZZINGBULLET** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:00 am

I think Beal has fallen back and is playing within the team right now vs. trying to ham it up---not saying he is a ham because he isn't---but I think once Wall and Wittman encourage him to get loose Beal's abilities will begin to show even more. I feel like he's somewhat still in the same mode he was in while playing under Billy Donovan, but if he's having fun and playing free I think we see more of the Beal who scored 40 points while at Chaminade (even in this game Beal somehow managed to remain team oriented).

Really believe the very best of Beal is yet to come.

dobrojim · Post #242 » by **dobrojim** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:35 am

I was encouraged by his late plays vs Mem in SL. Clutch 3 when Mem was trying to
come back followed by a great defensive play getting up and deflecting an attempted
oop. Overall he had been having a somewhat lackluster game but he made good plays
at the end to insure the W.

theboomking · Post #243 » by **theboomking** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:15 pm

Beal's summer league averages were:
17.6 Pts shooting 41.8% 3Pt% .300 FT% .722 Reb 4.6 Ast 1.8 Stl 1.0 Blk 1.0 TO 2.2 min 30:42

Not that that means very much of course. I would probably expect beter efficiency on lower useage if Beal were handling the ball less in a lineup with Wall.

Post #244 » by **Ruzious** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:17 pm

Stats in Vegas... What stuck out to me when watching him is how similar he is in style and substance to Harden as a rookie - he's just a little smaller. It's just a matter of development.

Dat2U · Post #245 » by **Dat2U** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 5:40 pm

Ruzious wrote:Stats in Vegas... What stuck out to me when watching him is how similar he is in style and substance to Harden as a rookie - he's just a little smaller. It's just a matter of development.

Similar but different? Similar in demeanor. He is a little smaller and that will make a difference. Don't know if his ability off the bounce is quite up to Harden's but he is younger so that might continue to improve.

He's built like Eric Gordon but not quite as bouncy. I think he's a safer bet than Gordon because of Gordon's fragility. I expect Beal to be a top 5 SG in time, but honestly the position is so weak, as Kobe, Manu & Joe Johnson get older, it's going to be tough to find 5 SGs that really stand out.

fishercob · Post #246 » by **fishercob** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:31 pm

Dat, I'll give you a cookie if you change your avatar. I love you, but I'm sick of looking at it.

Nivek · Post #247 » by **Nivek** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:42 pm

I'll go halfsies on that cookie.

GhostsOfGil · Post #248 » by **GhostsOfGil** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:48 pm

Dat dont do it. I love that avatar! Ill go 2 cookies.

willbcocks · Post #249 » by **willbcocks** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 12:53 am

My observations:

Beal looked like the most athletic guy out there in all the Wizards games. And while he's not as explosive, he has that smooth athleticism that only the elite athletes have, where he can get by people even in second gear, so he can stay in that gear without getting out of control. He uses his athleticism really well to create separation with picks, on the drive, and off the dribble.

Beal's playmaking abilities, particularly his passing skills, are MUCH better than I imagined. He seems to always makes the right pass or the right decision. His handle is solid. He has a really good right hand and his left hand looks good enough to switch it up every once in a while. He still needs to work on the left hand and tightening up the dribble a bit, but he doesn't have as far to go as I thought.

His defense and other intangibles are superb. He'll be an excellent team player and defender.

His shot is not elite right now. He has a good shot (maybe 37% from 3), but he's not a deadeye shooter and running him off pick after pick like Hamilton or Allen isn't an efficient option now. He needs to work with a shooting coach and get reps, reps, reps. He just turned 19 years old and has a good foundation, so if he wants to put in the work, he can probably turn into an elite shooter. I hope he does, because he'll then be the total package and a perennial all-star.

willbcocks · Post #250 » by **willbcocks** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:03 am

One thing I've heard a few people say that I don't get is that his release point is low so he won't be able to get off contested shot. Whether or not that's true, why do we want him taking contest shots? I want him to nail his open shots, get defenders off balance with pump fakes to open up his mid-range game, and attack the basket. Contested shots? Those are what Crawford likes to take.

AWIZZINGBULLET · Post #251 » by **AWIZZINGBULLET** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:19 am

willbcocks wrote:One thing I've heard a few people say that I don't get is that his release point is low so he won't be able to get off contested shot. Whether or not that's true, why do we want him taking contest shots? I want him to nail his open shots, get defenders off balance with pump fakes to open up his mid-range game, and attack the basket. Contested shots? Those are what Crawford likes to take.

If anything I would say his shot looks a bit mechanical and his release somewhat slow; but that's likely the way he's shot his whole life and it was good enough to get him picked third.

Chocolate City Jordanaire · Post #252 » by **Chocolate City Jordanaire** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:28 am

Jordan Crawford will be 24 when the NBA season gets underway. Brad Beal just turned 19. We speak of Crawford as a young player but he's 4 and 1/2 years older than Bradley Beal. John Wall is three years older than Beal.

Of all the rookies in SL, there are a lot of prominent Gs, but Beal is the youngest. Jeremy Lamb is older by one year. John Jenkins and Will Barton are 2 years older. Damian Lillard is three years older than Beal.

MKG and Beal are phenomenal players, both destined for greatness. If I had to pick right now, I would totally agree with Dat that MKG is on another level. That said, Beal is going to be a GREAT, not good player IMO. He will be the leader of this team in a couple years.

I'm not worried at all about Beal. Who knows that he won't grow some more. If there is any worry, it may surface in 2-3 years if he fills out and gains too much weight. That is not a legit concern at the moment. A legit concern is Crawford starting ahead of Beal. Shouldn't happen, even if Beal is not yet ready. I think the Wizards need to work a deal for a veteran SG to take Crawford's spot.

80sballboy · Post #253 » by **80sballboy** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 2:34 am

Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:Jordan Crawford will be 24 when the NBA season gets underway. Brad Beal just turned 19. We speak of Crawford as a young player but he's 4 and 1/2 years older than Bradley Beal. John Wall is three years older than Beal.

Of all the rookies in SL, there are a lot of prominent Gs, but Beal is the youngest. Jeremy Lamb is older by one year. John Jenkins and Will Barton are 2 years older. Damian Lillard is three years older than Beal.

MKG and Beal are phenomenal players, both destined for greatness. If I had to pick right now, I would totally agree with Dat that MKG is on another level. That said, Beal is going to be a GREAT, not good player IMO. He will be the leader of this team in a couple years.

I'm not worried at all about Beal. Who knows that he won't grow some more.

One concern I do have is Crawford starting ahead of Beal. Shouldn't happen, even if Beal is not yet ready. I think the Wizards need to work a deal for a veteran SG to take Crawford's spot.

Courtney Lee would have been a nice band-aid to start for a year. Now, I don't think there's much out there that's an upgrade over Crawford. I think everybody has to take the SL with a grain of salt. I wouldn't have minded drafting MKG. He's explosive, rebounds, defends, scores and is improving as a shooter. But the pace is typically fast-pace with no defense and he'll thrive in that. I wouldn't have minded either player but I think once Beal gets comfortable with the longer 3pt shot, he'll be fine. Not sure if he'll be "great". There aren't many great 2's out there.

I'm more concerned about his defense but I wonder if Wall can hande some of the tougher matchups at close to 6-5 and he says he's 205 now. All I know is that in two years, we'll have one of the best young guard duos in the league.

closg00 · Post #254 » by **closg00** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 1:34 am

Beal gets props.
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/07 ... nba_t12_a1

DMVleGeND · Post #255 » by **DMVleGeND** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 2:22 am

willbcocks wrote:One thing I've heard a few people say that I don't get is that his release point is low so he won't be able to get off contested shot. Whether or not that's true, why do we want him taking contest shots? I want him to nail his open shots, get defenders off balance with pump fakes to open up his mid-range game, and attack the basket. Contested shots? Those are what Crawford likes to take.

Not that I want him to take contested shots, but he's going to get into situations where he HAS to. He'll mainly be an off-the-ball player though so it probably won't be a huge problem.

dangermouse · Post #256 » by **dangermouse** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 2:26 am

How far is pre-season? Can't wait to see Beal on the court with Wall. But the fact that Crawford will start over him is going to be a bit of a downer to start off with.

Kanyewest · Post #257 » by **Kanyewest** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:17 am

dangermouse wrote:How far is pre-season? Can't wait to see Beal on the court with Wall. But the fact that Crawford will start over him is going to be a bit of a downer to start off with.

It may not be that bad- it will probably prevent Beal from hitting the rookie wall sooner. Hopefully, Crawford will show some incremental improvement this offseason. I thought Crawford would be a much better 3 point shooter based on the NCAA tournament (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVEIeD91vIc#t=1m20s) - so far he's only been like a 30% shooter from 3 though

nuposse04 · Post #258 » by **nuposse04** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:20 am

Has anyone compared him to Michael Redd yet? I feel like that might be a more achievable goal for him.

willbcocks · Post #259 » by **willbcocks** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:43 am

I don't like the Michael Redd Comparison. Redd was a shooter but not much else--not a great playmaker, terrible defender, etc.

Beal will be a very well-rounded NBA player. He's better than Redd at almost everything. And, at least now, he's not as good a shooter as Redd, so they're more like polar opposites.

Halcyon · Post #260 » by **Halcyon** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:20 am

If we're using current players, he reminds me of a cross between Marcus Thorton and James Harden. Very cerebral player who probably needs to be prodded a bit to be more aggressive. Shooting wise I hope that he can be around a 35%~38% shooter while still being able to slash to the basket and create for others.