dlts20 wrote:Illmatic21 wrote:Very interesting video I came across. Listen to what Billy Donovan says around 1:20 and Beal's comments afterwards:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doI-dIr6qjs[/youtube]
Ive thought about some of that recently and hoped he would flip the switch but it doesnt really hold weight now for several reasons.
1 is I used that logic last year. He didnt live up to the hype in college and but then found his rhythm in the 2nd half of the season (or a lil later) and was great after that. Last year he was horrible the first 2 months of the season. Even worst then he is now but just like college, he flipped the switch when the new year came and was great the rest of the season. Shooting a very high percentage and winning b2b rookie of the month awards I believe.
That shouldve been the end right there. I guess people took notice of the 2nd half last year and his great preseaon (where he was easily one of the top 5 players in the NBA) and they scouted him greatly. Still, the slump shouldnt last that long. Its pretty much been all year and instead of getting better, he's actually gotten worse over the season.
Still, I agree that he's only 20 and will get alot better. I think under a new coach he will be alot better. Just him playing up to the level of the 2nd half of last year would give us like 5 more wins right now. He's the type of guy that instead of a small leap, he could take a big leap in one year and that would make us a ton better. My thought process is that he's not playing to even the average of his ability right now. Like he has a level and next year a normal progression is a step up but I actually think he's playing under his naturally level so next year I could see him take not 1 but 2 or 3 steps up in one year
I wouldn't say Beal has been "slumping" all season. He's been slumping lately, but his overall play this season is a lesson in what happens when a player is thrust into a greater role than they can handle. At this stage in his career, Beal simply isn't good enough to be an efficient 1b/2nd option on a playoff team. He's a talented, but young player who needs to be in a structured system to bring the best out of his game. Wittman's 'system' is the opposite of structured, there's no cohesive offensive philosophy. At least not one that leads to winning basketball. When you're coaching a 20-year old NBA sophomore and you tell them to go out on the court and do whatever they want for 35mpg, the results will generally look like Beal's this season.
I thought it was interesting that Donovan pointed out how Beal wasn't used to slumping and overcoming bad shooting nights. I think he's still learning how to deal with that now. It seems like he's so confident in his shooting abilities that he's almost TOO confident.. like he thinks every jumpshot he takes will go in, just because he makes them in practice or because he's always been a great shooter. Learning how to deal with those slumps is part of maturity. Ray Allen has had some horrible shooting slumps before, but he's learned to continue getting to his efficient spots on the floor and finding a way to get himself going again.. hopefully Beal can do the same.
I think he will be a lot better next year, now that he knows what to expect when you're a focus of opposing defenses. He'll know he needs to tighten his handles, develop his post game, work on finishing at the rim, gain strength and flexibility to prevent injuries, etc. There's no way he could have done all that last offseason because of his stress fracture. But now he has a full offseason to work with, and he's seen a large sample size of what works and what doesn't.
When you consider how much time he has to improve and the high floor he started at, I can't imagine Bradley Beal not being a good NBA player 4-5 years into his career. But as fans, we will have to be extremely patient (and pray that our FO makes the right decisions with the team)
