Bradley Beal - Part II

[payitforward]

is anyone concerned that his PPA is so low? It feels like the PPA numbers dont like him...this year or last year..

No, not concerned. Last year his first 2 months killed his overall efficiency, but he was fantastic the rest of the year. This year it's just a matter of shot selection. He needs to maximize his 3 pt attempts while shooting less long 2s off the dribble. This guy is an amazing shooter, I expect him to be considered one of the top SGs by PPA and any other per minute stat by the end of the season.

Doesn't concern me either, but I certainly don't expect his PPA to soar by the end of the season -- he's 20 years old, and no he's not ready to "one of the top SGs" in the league at that age.

His upside, however? Through the roof! Where he is as a player, mentally and physically, is fantastic for his age, and keep in mind that he still might grow an inch or 2. Wow.

[tontoz]

Beal is a go to shooter, without him on the floor martell is our next option but hes not a go to option...so essentially with beal out we have to actually run an offense instead of screens to free him...make our offense a lil less un predictable

Is this what the advanced numbers say or is this based only on what you think
to be the case?

I seem to recall that the advanced numbers didn't make a compelling case
for him being quite as great as many of us fans thought. Don't get me wrong,
I love the kid and think he has a great future ahead of him. But let's not
automatically believe our lying eyes.

That said, both Webster and BB both benefit GREATLY from playing
with John who spoonfeeds them quality looks on a regular basis.

Inside the 3 point line Beal has been bad. He takes a lot of shots and shoots them poorly. He rarely gets to the rim or the foul line. Hopefully that will improve over time but so far he hasn't been that good.

[stevemcqueen1]

is anyone concerned that his PPA is so low? It feels like the PPA numbers dont like him...this year or last year..

No, not concerned. Last year his first 2 months killed his overall efficiency, but he was fantastic the rest of the year. This year it's just a matter of shot selection. He needs to maximize his 3 pt attempts while shooting less long 2s off the dribble. This guy is an amazing shooter, I expect him to be considered one of the top SGs by PPA and any other per minute stat by the end of the season.

Doesn't concern me either, but I certainly don't expect his PPA to soar by the end of the season -- he's 20 years old, and no he's not ready to "one of the top SGs" in the league at that age.

His upside, however? Through the roof! Where he is as a player, mentally and physically, is fantastic for his age, and keep in mind that he still might grow an inch or 2. Wow.

Yeah Beal's upside is pretty spectacular. He's ahead of the game because he's physically well developed and he's already a tremendous shooter--two things that usually take time. Once his decision making and awareness catch up, his potential as a scorer is awesome. And he's a complete player too, he can pass and rebound and do things like block shots. He should be a good defender eventually too.

Plus, when you account for the relative weakness of the SG position league wide, it makes his value stick out more.

[stevemcqueen1]

Beal is our future star SG. You don't do anything to mess with that. He should stay the starter and keep his role. The only reason to demote him to the bench is if he just tanked.

You want him healthy first and foremost. He shouldn't be playing 40 minutes a game. If this team is still on a roll when he comes back, I think you ease him back in by bringing him off the bench.

Well that's natural in order to get his conditioning right. But that's only for a handful of games. He shouldn't be playing so many minutes, but he should start once he's ready again. He can't be playing whole quarters as often as he did. Hopefully Porter will be able to push Martell into playing more SG so Beal can rest more.

[Ruzious]

Beal is a go to shooter, without him on the floor martell is our next option but hes not a go to option...so essentially with beal out we have to actually run an offense instead of screens to free him...make our offense a lil less un predictable

Is this what the advanced numbers say or is this based only on what you think
to be the case?

I seem to recall that the advanced numbers didn't make a compelling case
for him being quite as great as many of us fans thought. Don't get me wrong,
I love the kid and think he has a great future ahead of him. But let's not
automatically believe our lying eyes.

That said, both Webster and BB both benefit GREATLY from playing
with John who spoonfeeds them quality looks on a regular basis.

Inside the 3 point line Beal has been bad. He takes a lot of shots and shoots them poorly. He rarely gets to the rim or the foul line. Hopefully that will improve over time but so far he hasn't been that good.

Some apparently write that off as him being young, but I don't think we can assume those problems will go away until/if they do go away. I would have thought that with his apparent increase in size/strength we would have seen him going to the basket stronger and more frequently and drawing more fouls - but that hasn't been the case, so far - as he's settled for so many long 2's - so I'm actually a bit disappointed in him - but that's only because I think he is capable of becoming all-star quality.

[tontoz]

Some apparently write that off as him being young, but I don't think we can assume those problems will go away until/if they do go away. I would have thought that with his apparent increase in size/strength we would have seen him going to the basket stronger and more frequently and drawing more fouls - but that hasn't been the case, so far - as he's settled for so many long 2's - so I'm actually a bit disappointed in him - but that's only because I think he is capable of becoming all-star quality.

That is where i am. Too many times i have seen guys fail to address obvious flaws. Some guys get it and change their game, some don't. I am not going to try and pretend like i can predict who will get it and who won't.

[nate33]

He definitely needs to work on drawing fouls. But that doesn't necessarily mean he must always go to the basket. He takes way too many hard falls when going to the basket for my taste. I'd like to see him learn how to make shot fakes and/or jump into defenders to draw fouls from midrange.

[Rafael122]

Wasn't he driving to the basket a lot and was getting mauled down low? How many hard falls did he have last season? I think he smartened up a bit

[tontoz]

Wasn't he driving to the basket a lot and was getting mauled down low? How many hard falls did he have last season? I think he smartened up a bit

Last year he was trying to dunk on known shotblockers and got punk'd. He isn't Vince Carter.

Now he is just avoiding the lane altogether unless it is completely clear. Nothing smart about that.

What he should be doing is driving when the opportunity is there and trying to finish or set up other guys. He doesn't need to try to put guys on a poster, just try to make the basket/get to the line/set up a teamate. Wall does it all the time.

[Rafael122]

Wasn't he driving to the basket a lot and was getting mauled down low? How many hard falls did he have last season? I think he smartened up a bit

Last year he was trying to dunk on known shotblockers and got punk'd. He isn't Vince Carter.

Now he is just avoiding the lane altogether unless it is completely clear. Nothing smart about that.

What he should be doing is driving when the opportunity is there and trying to finish or set up other guys. He doesn't need to try to put guys on a poster, just try to make the basket/get to the line/set up a teamate. Wall does it all the time.

Which he'll probably do, but whatever he's doing is working. Gotta take what the defense gives you, if you're wide open for a corner 3, shoot the ball.

Also, he's only 20, he'll learn, kid won't enter his prime for another 3-4 years.

[tontoz]

Which he'll probably do, but whatever he's doing is working. Gotta take what the defense gives you, if you're wide open for a corner 3, shoot the ball.

Also, he's only 20, he'll learn, kid won't enter his prime for another 3-4 years.

No it isn't working. Teams aren't willingly giving him 3s. They are trying to run him off the line as much as possible.

And when they do run him off the line he ends up taking a long 2 off the dribble most of the time. That is why his 2 pt percentage is only 39%. That is why he gets only 2.8 foul shots in 40 minutes.

In contrast Afflalo shoots 11% better on 2s and gets to the foul line twice as often.

[barelyawake]

If I were GM, I would get a coach to teach Wall and Beal fakes (shoulder dips, shot fakes, fake passes, eye fakes and crossovers). Both would be much better if they started employing these to allow them to finish at the rim. Wall, for all he does great (and much like Gilbert in this regard), relies too much on a ref's whistle that will go away in the playoffs. Wall being aggressive is great. But, he needs to be both aggressive and finish at the rim (same with Beal).

Honestly, if both simply learn and employ fakes, both will be all stars for their careers. Outside of shooting, the above should be Wall's main concern in practice. He has the passing and defense down. I was going to make a thread specifically about this because I think it's our key to future success at the highest levels.

[dlts20]

I think Beal will be one of 2 things when he gets back and he'll definitely end up at one specific part. I think the time off will really help him. Its always great to watch and its always even better to see a team win more without you. It changes the way you play. Its like Gil. He use to make me so mad how he use to say that he's not Steve Nash and all this. He was a terrible pure PG and a terrible passer. Then he gets hurt and we win without him. Magically when he came back he all off assuden was 10x better as a passer. It took him to sit & watch to figure that out. The bad thing was that he never got healthy again. If he had stayed healthy then he couldve been the best in the league with his scoring and new passing skills.

Thats what I think will happen to Beal. He will either fall back, play the same but take less shots which will be great for us and he will be more efficient. Or he will still be the same aggressive guy as always except now he will be driving more and not forcing as many shots as before. No matter which he chooses, I think at some point he will end up the aggressive guy who is a much better all around player & scorer because of him watching and us winning without him.

Ive also said before that everyone just assumes Nene was ripping Wall when he made those comments after the SA game but I still think he was talking more about Beal. For the most part at that time, Wall wasnt shooting much, was still pass 1st, and it was obvious stats werent a huge deal to him because he wasnt even trying hard to dominate. However, Beal had a lil bit of cockyness about him coming out the Preseason. He was a lil RG3 like where he was believiing the hype, would average 25ppg, be an All Star, etc. Defenses changed on him but he was still going to force things to get his numbers and he would make comments after the game about how his teammates are going to do a better job of getting him the ball in better spots. You just got the sense that he was a young guy who just knew he would have a dominant year and was going to shoot like he was MJ without a conscience. I think that will have changed when he gets back

[mohammed10]

I think Beal will be one of 2 things when he gets back and he'll definitely end up at one specific part. I think the time off will really help him. Its always great to watch and its always even better to see a team win more without you. It changes the way you play. Its like Gil. He use to make me so mad how he use to say that he's not Steve Nash and all this. He was a terrible pure PG and a terrible passer. Then he gets hurt and we win without him. Magically when he came back he all off assuden was 10x better as a passer. It took him to sit & watch to figure that out. The bad thing was that he never got healthy again. If he had stayed healthy then he couldve been the best in the league with his scoring and new passing skills.

Thats what I think will happen to Beal. He will either fall back, play the same but take less shots which will be great for us and he will be more efficient. Or he will still be the same aggressive guy as always except now he will be driving more and not forcing as many shots as before. No matter which he chooses, I think at some point he will end up the aggressive guy who is a much better all around player & scorer because of him watching and us winning without him.

Ive also said before that everyone just assumes Nene was ripping Wall when he made those comments after the SA game but I still think he was talking more about Beal. For the most part at that time, Wall wasnt shooting much, was still pass 1st, and it was obvious stats werent a huge deal to him because he wasnt even trying hard to dominate. However, Beal had a lil bit of cockyness about him coming out the Preseason. He was a lil RG3 like where he was believiing the hype, would average 25ppg, be an All Star, etc. Defenses changed on him but he was still going to force things to get his numbers and he would make comments after the game about how his teammates are going to do a better job of getting him the ball in better spots. You just got the sense that he was a young guy who just knew he would have a dominant year and was going to shoot like he was MJ without a conscience. I think that will have changed when he gets back

So dlts, are you applying this to Otto as well?

[DCZards]

Which he'll probably do, but whatever he's doing is working. Gotta take what the defense gives you, if you're wide open for a corner 3, shoot the ball.

Also, he's only 20, he'll learn, kid won't enter his prime for another 3-4 years.

No it isn't working. Teams aren't willingly giving him 3s. They are trying to run him off the line as much as possible.

And when they do run him off the line he ends up taking a long 2 off the dribble most of the time. That is why his 2 pt percentage is only 39%. That is why he gets only 2.8 foul shots in 40 minutes.

In contrast Afflalo shoots 11% better on 2s and gets to the foul line twice as often.

Afflalo is also 8 years older than Beal and has five more years of pro experience. Those things count...a lot.

[tontoz]

Afflalo is also 8 years older than Beal and has five more years of pro experience. Those things count...a lot.

I never claimed otherwise. My only point is that so far this season Beal has been bad inside the 3 point line. He is shooting often, shooting poorly and not getting to the foul line much.

Jordan Crawford hasn't been known for his shot selection or shooting accuracy but his career average on 2 point shots is 45%, 6% above Beal's current mark.

[dobrojim]

bump

re the guy we love or love to criticize (heck what are boards for if not to criticize)

I thought I heard he was cleared to resume basketball activities.
GR's modest 'success' aside, any word on when that resumption
of basketball activities will include actual games?

We could use him.

[hands11]

http://www.monumentalnetwork.com/videos ... l-12-11-13

Sounds like the medical staff is getting better then it was.

They really seem on top of this.

Wish he would get into more detail about what is causing it.

And as a reporter, how did they get through that entire interview and not ask if it has something to do with the fact he is still growing and he has played such a heavy load of minutes. I think is also has something to do with him playing long runs without a break. Randy started to fix that just before he went out. I would guess he is on a restriction where he doesn't go more then x amount of minutes without a break.

Not sure why they didn't put him on a min restriction to begin with since he had this issue already. I would think 34-36 min would be his max.

Ted better get this thing right soon. He got a grace period as a new owner. And the team does look better. But still to many questions and EG is just to much of a mixed bag to keep around. Other organizations are doing well rebuilding. Hell, Boston blow their team up and already seems like they are rebounding. Danny is good GM and they have a nice new coach to go along with some interesting pieces as players.

I think we need some non DC blood in the front office. And not someone from NY next time.

[Joel Embust]

Bradley Beal went through shootaround and will be a game-time decision vs. the Knicks on Monday.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Bradley Beal went through shootaround and will be a game-time decision vs. the Knicks on Monday.

You mean the Wiz are actually going to risk one of their key assets by actually, you know, letting him play basketball?

Apparently, the culture of Nene hasn't completely sunk in.