Bradley Beal - Part III

[Kanyewest]

Over the last 9 games, Beal has averaged 28.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists with a TS% of .594.

Yup...the Zards best player about to become a two-time all-star. What's BB's 3 pt% during those 9 games? Seems to me like it's been trending up.

38.7%.

[pcbothwel]

Over the last 9 games, Beal has averaged 28.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists with a TS% of .594.

Yup...the Zards best player about to become a two-time all-star. What's BB's 3 pt% during those 9 games? Seems to me like it's been trending up.

38.7%.

Thats the best part... he didnt need some wild spike in shooting efficiency to get to a 60% TS.

[payitforward]

Just for clarity, on the season Bradley Beal is playing almost as well as he did last year, but not quite.

Last year he didn't play as well as had played the year before.

[Kanyewest]

Beal is having a great season with the exception of his 3P%.

He is currently shooting 56% on 2-pointers, a career best by a lot. He is shooting an unbelievable .766 at the rim (a career high by a country mile), and he's right around his career highs in percentage of shots at the rim. His frequency of long 2's is way down but when he shoots them, he is still hitting a pretty good 45.5% of them (second best in his career). He is just barely off his assist rate of last year (half the season without Wall) but his turnovers are down from 2.6 to 2.2.

The only problem, and it's a big one, is his horrific percentage from 3. He had a career average 3P% of .393 going into this season. This year, he is hitting just 32.5% of them. And from what I'm seeing, it's not that he's shooting a lot of high degree of difficulty 3's. He's missing the wide open catch-and-shoots. Indeed, he might even be shooting better on contested 3's than on open 3's.

Overall, Beal is having his 2nd best offensive season, averaging 29.4 points per 100 possession on a TS% of .570. (His best was in 2016-17 when he averaged 32.7 per 100 with a TS% of .604.) However, if Beal was simply shooting his career average from 3-point range, he'd be averaging 31.8 points per 100 on a TS% of .606 (with much better rebounding, assist, and blocks numbers than in 2016-17).

His free throw shooting is also close to a career low. Certainly room for improvement for Beal that could put him among the elite in the NBA.

[payitforward]

Yup...the Zards best player about to become a two-time all-star. What's BB's 3 pt% during those 9 games? Seems to me like it's been trending up.

38.7%.

Thats the best part... he didnt need some wild spike in shooting efficiency to get to a 60% TS.

?? -- Brad's TS% so far this year is 57.6%

That's above average for a 2, & it's better than last year (56.4%) as well, but it's well below his only really good year 2 years ago (60.4%).

[pcbothwel]

38.7%.

Thats the best part... he didnt need some wild spike in shooting efficiency to get to a 60% TS.

?? -- Brad's TS% so far this year is 57.6%

That's above average for a 2, & it's better than last year (56.4%) as well, but it's well below his only really good year 2 years ago (60.4%).

I was referring to his last 15 or so games.
Again, I still think he is overrated by some... but his improvement on defense and as a playmaker/rebounder give me pause on one thing...
What if he leaves and some coach puts him in the Derozan/Harden position of lead ball handler and he becomes a 25/5/6 player on 58-60% TS....
Thats a level only MJ, Harden, and Curry have reached... and not far off from where he is now

[DCZards]

I was referring to his last 15 or so games.
Again, I still think he is overrated by some... but his improvement on defense and as a playmaker/rebounder give me pause on one thing...
What if he leaves and some coach puts him in the Derozan/Harden position of lead ball handler and he becomes a 25/5/6 player on 58-60% TS....
Thats a level only MJ, Harden, and Curry have reached... and not far off from where he is now

Bradley doesn't have the handles to do what Derozan and Harden do off-the-dribble. Would love to see him develop that ability though. I'd expect his playmaking and ballhandling to continue to improve given that he's only 25.

However, BB is a better career 3pt shooter than Harden and a MUCH better career 3pt shooter than Derozan. So there is that.

[queridiculo]

38.7%.

Thats the best part... he didnt need some wild spike in shooting efficiency to get to a 60% TS.

?? -- Brad's TS% so far this year is 57.6%

That's above average for a 2, & it's better than last year (56.4%) as well, but it's well below his only really good year 2 years ago (60.4%).

If he was shooting his career average from 3-point range he'd be right around 60%.

After shooting an abysmal .315 from that range in November, he's moved up to .350 for the season on .387 for the month of december, which is right where he's at for his career.

[nate33]

I was referring to his last 15 or so games.
Again, I still think he is overrated by some... but his improvement on defense and as a playmaker/rebounder give me pause on one thing...
What if he leaves and some coach puts him in the Derozan/Harden position of lead ball handler and he becomes a 25/5/6 player on 58-60% TS....
Thats a level only MJ, Harden, and Curry have reached... and not far off from where he is now

Bradley doesn't have the handles to do what Derozan and Harden do off-the-dribble. Would love to see him develop that ability though. I'd expect his playmaking and ballhandling to continue to improve given that he's only 25.

However, BB is a better career 3pt shooter than Harden and a MUCH better career 3pt shooter than Derozan. So there is that.

His handles are getting better and better though. He's not a hard slasher like Derozan and he doesn't have ridiculous handles like Harden or Curry; but he knows how to use a screen, and he has crafty footwork and a plethora of hesitation moves that allow him maneuver into the lane while keeping his handle alive. It almost reminds me a bit of Steve Nash, though without the ridiculous court vision.

[Dark Faze]

Next step for Beal is to get up to averaging around 8 FTA/game, and improve his rebounding.

Something like 26, 5, 5 might be his ceiling I think, but it's 50/50 on if he gets there.

[DCZards]

'nuff said.

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[Halcyon]

I feel with Beal, he's pretty much maximizing his abilities and he's worked to add new dimensions to his game. You can't say that about everybody on this team.

[Illmatic12]

I feel with Beal, he's pretty much maximizing his abilities and he's worked to add new dimensions to his game. You can't say that about everybody on this team.

Beal still seems to slip/fall down an awful lot and makes awkward turnovers when placed in a ballhandling role. But he’s gradually gotten stronger and more balanced over the last few years which has helped his game tremendously

I give him a lot of credit for improving in areas I didn’t really think he’d get better at based on his first few seasons.

[FAH1223]

I feel with Beal, he's pretty much maximizing his abilities and he's worked to add new dimensions to his game. You can't say that about everybody on this team.

yup....

[truwizfan4evr]

I feel with Beal, he's pretty much maximizing his abilities and he's worked to add new dimensions to his game. You can't say that about everybody on this team.

yup....

let's give porter a chance once John traded. John wall ball dominate playing style holding players back. We need a guy like lonzo.

[DCZards]

In the last 17 games, Beal is averaging 26.3 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 boards, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.2 steals. And he's bringing it every night on both ends of the court.

[dckingsfan]

In the last 17 games, Beal is averaging 26.3 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 boards, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.2 steals. And he's bringing it every night on both ends of the court.

Maximizing that trade value before February 7th!!!

[DCZards]

In the last 17 games, Beal is averaging 26.3 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 boards, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.2 steals. And he's bringing it every night on both ends of the court.

Maximizing that trade value before February 7th!!!

About now, I wouldn't mind seeing Beal traded...for his sake. Let him go to a team (like the Lakers) where he wouldn't have to carry the load--like last night when he had to do all the scoring and playmaking, while playing 40 mins a game--that he has to carry here in DC. Let BB play with Lebron. I'd expect Brad to flourish next to Lebron in the same the way that Paul George has blown up sharing the court with Westbrook.

I only hope that, if the Zards do trade Beal, they get a quality young player and/or a top 5 pick in the draft in return

But what I really expect to happen is for Beal to remain a Zard...and a centerpiece of the team's rebuild. And that would be just fine by this BB fan.

[Jamaaliver]

I think you guys could demand a serious haul for Beal and improve the tank odds at the same time by trading him this year for younger players & picks.

Dude is a stud.

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Spoiler:

Time to Blow It Up: John Wall's Injury Signals the End of Wizards' Playoff Hopes

The Wizards in the Wall and Bradley Beal era have made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, which counts as major success in this franchise's tortured history. But as they've fallen short in the postseason, their roster has gotten more and more expensive, and their options for meaningful improvement have diminished.

This season, Wall, Beal and Otto Porter Jr. are making a combined $70.6 million, and that's before Wall's massive four-year, $169 million extension kicks in next season.

Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld has not been able to build the right supporting cast around Wall, Beal and Porter.

If the Wizards put everybody on the table, Beal would be by far the most attractive player. Just 25 years old and on a below-market contract for two seasons beyond this one, he would fit well on virtually any team. Out of their Big Three, Beal is also the one the Wizards would most like to keep. But their roster isn't set up to win while he's still in his prime, and it's extremely unlikely they'd be able to pair him with the kind of talent that would lead them to contention.

Beal would be best as the second or third option on a contender, which he's been in some of the Wizards' better years recently. He's the player Washington could move for a meaningful package of young players and picks from a team like the Utah Jazz or New Orleans Pelicans, in need of a scorer in the backcourt and looking to win in the near term. If he becomes available, there will be a serious bidding war, and that could kick-start Washington's rebuild.

Bleacher Report

[Ruzious]

In the last 17 games, Beal is averaging 26.3 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 boards, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.2 steals. And he's bringing it every night on both ends of the court.

Maximizing that trade value before February 7th!!!

I'll be honest - that's the way I look at it. He's doing great, but... I wouldn't miss the glum face when he's on the bench, the me first attitude when he got frustrated by Kemba Walker that earned him a technical foul - and refusing to listen to Ariza's lecture, the falling on his arse so often that the refs ignore it, and missing so many open 3's. He will likely never have more trade value than he has now.