The Amazingly Sucky Bradley Beal

[Ruzious]

Beal knows his problem is that he doesn't get his feet set before shooting - He's said as much, and anyone can see by how many of shots go off the front of the rim. Since he knows the problem, it's hard to understand why he hasn't corrected it.

[fishercob]

F*ck this sh*t.

A friend asked me why I haven't been around these parts much.

This type of anti-fandom is Exhibit A. Criticisms? Fine. "Amazingly sucky" for a 21 year-old who last year led this franchise to its first playoff win in 200 years? Give me a break. Pathetic.

[Dark Faze]

wow, you really set the bar high for this franchise huh

extend everybody involved with the team Ted, clearly, I mean clearly, we have achieved greatness

[dckingsfan]

So, he doesn't suck - let's give it another year or two. Same for Porter... Neither were the best in their respective classes - but at least Grunfeld didn't totally blow it. Or another way to say it - it is an amazing good result for EG.

I don't think anyone thinks they've met expectations. They've both been below expectations for number 3 overall picks. It helps they are both still very young. To your first list, AD is in his own league good. I won't begin to compare any young prospect to him. There are tons of other guys Beal SHOULD be better then. I still maintain a good bit of his failures are due to this system, but he does sulk far too much. I thought Porter might be a better player when it is all said and done, and in the right system, I don't know if that would be too much of an exaggeration.

Here is hoping they both live up to their draft pedigree

Good points - it is expectation for #3 picks & let's hope they break out next year. I still think the thread title isn't right thought - they aren't sucky as compared to their class and age - just not up to expectations for #3 picks.

[Kanyewest]

F*ck this sh*t.

A friend asked me why I haven't been around these parts much.

This type of anti-fandom is Exhibit A. Criticisms? Fine. "Amazingly sucky" for a 21 year-old who last year led this franchise to its first playoff win in 200 years? Give me a break. Pathetic.

Hopefully Juan Dixon will text this Bradley Beal and Beal will drop 50.

[jivelikenice]

Beal doesn't take enough 3s and yes while part of that is on the coach, it's also on him. I caveat this by saying I want Wittman fired yesterday but is it Randy's fault that Beal pump fakes and take shots from one foot inside the line versus going to the elbow? Even when get gets uncontested mid range shots, he misses! What's concerning to me is the lack of nuance or scoring IQ growth in his game. He makes the same mistakes repeatedly, he has trouble getting his shot off at times, and he wants to be something he's not. When he was comp'd to Ray Allen early on he insisted he had more ball handling ability. In the interim he's not good off the dribble and doesn't focus on what should be his strength.
Moving without the ball, quickening up his release, getting his feet right, using screens right...that's where he needs to focus.

He's 21 but he's due a contract soon so blindky saying he's 21 doesn't fix the issue at hand. Do you extend him this summer or wait for his RFA year? I would wait but an interesting point was brought up. With the cap jump will a team offer him stupid $ next season when he's a RFA and tying our hands as we pursue FAs?

[TGW]

Beal doesn't take enough 3s and yes while part of that is on the coach, it's also on him. I caveat this by saying I want Wittman fired yesterday but is it Randy's fault that Beal pump fakes and take shots from one foot inside the line versus going to the elbow? Even when get gets uncontested mid range shots, he misses! What's concerning to me is the lack of nuance or scoring IQ growth in his game. He makes the same mistakes repeatedly, he has trouble getting his shot off at times, and he wants to be something he's not. When he was comp'd to Ray Allen early on he insisted he had more ball handling ability. In the interim he's not good off the dribble and doesn't focus on what should be his strength.
Moving without the ball, quickening up his release, getting his feet right, using screens right...that's where he needs to focus.

He's 21 but he's due a contract soon so blindky saying he's 21 doesn't fix the issue at hand. Do you extend him this summer or wait for his RFA year? I would wait but an interesting point was brought up. With the cap jump will a team offer him stupid $ next season when he's a RFA and tying our hands as we pursue FAs?

Yea, they need to decide what their going to do with him quickly. He is a good compliment to Wall, but honestly I don't think Beal's play justifies a large contract, and he shouldn't be rewarded for his body of work thus far. And with this coaching staff/FO, we really don't know how good he really is. What we're seeing now is pretty bad, though.

Sigh...could have had Harden, and this thread wouldn't exist.

[Induveca]

F*ck this sh*t.

A friend asked me why I haven't been around these parts much.

This type of anti-fandom is Exhibit A. Criticisms? Fine. "Amazingly sucky" for a 21 year-old who last year led this franchise to its first playoff win in 200 years? Give me a break. Pathetic.

He's a 3rd year player. He has regressed, he consistently takes (and bricks) the least efficient shot in the game. He deserves the criticism.

A lot of blame falls on Wittman for coaching the long two in practice (ugh), but is Beal incapable of learning from his mistakes? Age is irrelevant when you've been a starter at the professional level for 3 years.

On some threads there are discussions indicting EG for thinking a 4th year player in Randy Foye would somehow improve after arriving in DC. Foye's first 3 seasons were strikingly similar to those of Beal. Hypocritical to think Beal still has some great leap in his "potential", especially within our organization.

I'm 110% in on a trade offer of Porter/Beal/Gortat for Cousins/whatever. Cashing in assets near their peak is a good thing. Let's not be delusional and think after 36 months of professional work we are unable to determine a realistic ceiling for Beal. With the right coach he could be a great 3 point shooter off of screens.

If the perception in the league is he could be a Wade type player, great.....trade him before people realize he can't dribble or get to the rim.

[TGW]

F*ck this sh*t.

A friend asked me why I haven't been around these parts much.

This type of anti-fandom is Exhibit A. Criticisms? Fine. "Amazingly sucky" for a 21 year-old who last year led this franchise to its first playoff win in 200 years? Give me a break. Pathetic.

LOL go cry somewhere else grandpa.

I stated facts...take your emotional rant somewhere else.

[Kanyewest]

Yes Beal's play throughout the season shows that he has a long way to go but I don't think this game against the Rockets was all that bad. Beal only 4 of 11 from the field but he got to the free throw line 7 times and by math ultimately had a 53 TS%. His defense was actually above average as he and the Wizards defense held James Harden, an MVP candidate, to 49 TS%.

[RustyMagoo]

Beal should be running off baseline screens and popping catch-and-shoot 3s all night, every night. 90% of his dribbling should occur only after pump fakes while driving to the rim. Randy is wasting him.


Sent from my iPad using RealGM Forums

[Dat2U]

This is a case where I disagree with the advanced stat guys and say coaching does make a huge difference. On average, coaching probably has a negligible impact but with Wittman legitimately one of the worst active coaches in the league, the impact is palatable. We may the worst team in the league at putting young players in a position to suceed. Wall is a case of elite talent overcoming inept coaching & management. Beal's talent is not as transcendent as Wall's and it's going to be harder for him to overcome the poor direction he's received so far unless we get a smart & strong basketball mind that's not stuck in the old school mentality.

A young player's developmental years are the most important. Outside of Seraphin and maybe Booker, we've probably done a disservice to all of the recent draft picks we attempted to development. RIP to the basketball careers of J-Craw, Ves, C-Sing, GRJr, etc. I hope we did a better job of investing the cash we made off of selling draft picks than we did developing recent draft picks.

[Dat2U]

F*ck this sh*t.

A friend asked me why I haven't been around these parts much.

This type of anti-fandom is Exhibit A. Criticisms? Fine. "Amazingly sucky" for a 21 year-old who last year led this franchise to its first playoff win in 200 years? Give me a break. Pathetic.

He's a 3rd year player. He has regressed, he consistently takes (and bricks) the least efficient shot in the game. He deserves the criticism.

A lot of blame falls on Wittman for coaching the long two in practice (ugh), but is Beal incapable of learning from his mistakes? Age is irrelevant when you've been a starter at the professional level for 3 years.

On some threads there are discussions indicting EG for thinking a 4th year player in Randy Foye would somehow improve after arriving in DC. Foye's first 3 seasons were strikingly similar to those of Beal. Hypocritical to think Beal still has some great leap in his "potential", especially within our organization.

I'm 110% in on a trade offer of Porter/Beal/Gortat for Cousins/whatever. Cashing in assets near their peak is a good thing. Let's not be delusional and think after 36 months of professional work we are unable to determine a realistic ceiling for Beal. With the right coach he could be a great 3 point shooter off of screens.

If the perception in the league is he could be a Wade type player, great.....trade him before people realize he can't dribble or get to the rim.

You realize Foye was 26 when he came to DC right? That's 5 years older than Beal. Foye came into the league at 23!!! Two years older than Beal RIGHT NOW! Can we get some better perspective here?

[jivelikenice]

Coaching clearly plays a role. But is Wittman telling Beal to pump fake at the 3-pt line to step in and then pump fake again and bypass that look to pass it out for a Nene 18ft baseline shot? Habits are formed from coaching though and his development has been messy.

[Kanyewest]

This is a case where I disagree with the advanced stat guys and say coaching does make a huge difference. On average, coaching probably has a negligible impact but with Wittman legitimately one of the worst active coaches in the league, the impact is palatable. We may the worst team in the league at putting young players in a position to suceed. Wall is a case of elite talent overcoming inept coaching & management. Beal's talent is not as transcendent as Wall's and it's going to be harder for him to overcome the poor direction he's received so far unless we get a smart & strong basketball mind that's not stuck in the old school mentality.

A young player's developmental years are the most important. Outside of Seraphin and maybe Booker, we've probably done a disservice to all of the recent draft picks we attempted to development. RIP to the basketball careers of J-Craw, Ves, C-Sing, GRJr, etc. I hope we did a better job of investing the cash we made off of selling draft picks than we did developing recent draft picks.

Yup- coaching could very well be the difference on the offensive end. The jump that Klay Thompson made just simply have to do with the fact that Thompson is playing under Kerr rather than Mark Jackson. Although Golden State is either picking player or is better at developing it's talent than Washington (Curry, Thompson, Green, Barnes).

I would just hope that if the Wizards try to keep the same defensive principles if they move to a new head coach- because on that side of the court, the Wizards seem to know what they are doing.

[Induveca]

F*ck this sh*t.

A friend asked me why I haven't been around these parts much.

This type of anti-fandom is Exhibit A. Criticisms? Fine. "Amazingly sucky" for a 21 year-old who last year led this franchise to its first playoff win in 200 years? Give me a break. Pathetic.

He's a 3rd year player. He has regressed, he consistently takes (and bricks) the least efficient shot in the game. He deserves the criticism.

A lot of blame falls on Wittman for coaching the long two in practice (ugh), but is Beal incapable of learning from his mistakes? Age is irrelevant when you've been a starter at the professional level for 3 years.

On some threads there are discussions indicting EG for thinking a 4th year player in Randy Foye would somehow improve after arriving in DC. Foye's first 3 seasons were strikingly similar to those of Beal. Hypocritical to think Beal still has some great leap in his "potential", especially within our organization.

I'm 110% in on a trade offer of Porter/Beal/Gortat for Cousins/whatever. Cashing in assets near their peak is a good thing. Let's not be delusional and think after 36 months of professional work we are unable to determine a realistic ceiling for Beal. With the right coach he could be a great 3 point shooter off of screens.

If the perception in the league is he could be a Wade type player, great.....trade him before people realize he can't dribble or get to the rim.

You realize Foye was 26 when he came to DC right? That's 5 years older than Beal. Foye came into the league at 23!!! Two years older than Beal RIGHT NOW! Can we get some better perspective here?

3 years pro experience is 3 years pro experience. It's a valid comparison......Beal is a below average SG after 3 seasons of NBA basketball.

Do we lock up the next Randy Foye/Calbert Cheaney at 10-12 million a year if he doesn't improve next year? I would hope the answer is no....

I'd prefer to trade him along with Porter/Gortat/protected 1st for Cousins/filler while his value still has him pegged as a possible Wade type player. I see the same player who was at Florida, a talented 3 point shooter but not seeing the upside elsewhere.

[Dat2U]

He's a 3rd year player. He has regressed, he consistently takes (and bricks) the least efficient shot in the game. He deserves the criticism.

A lot of blame falls on Wittman for coaching the long two in practice (ugh), but is Beal incapable of learning from his mistakes? Age is irrelevant when you've been a starter at the professional level for 3 years.

On some threads there are discussions indicting EG for thinking a 4th year player in Randy Foye would somehow improve after arriving in DC. Foye's first 3 seasons were strikingly similar to those of Beal. Hypocritical to think Beal still has some great leap in his "potential", especially within our organization.

I'm 110% in on a trade offer of Porter/Beal/Gortat for Cousins/whatever. Cashing in assets near their peak is a good thing. Let's not be delusional and think after 36 months of professional work we are unable to determine a realistic ceiling for Beal. With the right coach he could be a great 3 point shooter off of screens.

If the perception in the league is he could be a Wade type player, great.....trade him before people realize he can't dribble or get to the rim.

You realize Foye was 26 when he came to DC right? That's 5 years older than Beal. Foye came into the league at 23!!! Two years older than Beal RIGHT NOW! Can we get some better perspective here?

3 years pro experience is 3 years pro experience. It's a valid comparison......Beal is a below average SG after 3 seasons of NBA basketball.

Do we lock up the next Randy Foye/Calbert Cheaney at 10-12 million a year if he doesn't improve next year? I would hope the answer is no....

I'd prefer to trade him along with Porter/Gortat/protected 1st for Cousins/filler while his value still has him pegged as a possible Wade type player. I see the same player who was at Florida, a talented 3 point shooter but nothing else.

Sorry but that's just poor analysis with a bit of strawman added to top it off. I've never made any comparisions to Wade nor do I see a worthy comparison there but the kid still has a good deal of talent and skill. And someone being 26 after 3 years of development is a massive difference from someone being 21 after 3 years of development and if you can't understand that there's some basic fundamental logic about age & development of basketball players that's lacking on your end.

[DCZards]

Beal should be running off baseline screens and popping catch-and-shoot 3s all night, every night. 90% of his dribbling should occur only after pump fakes while driving to the rim. Randy is wasting him.

You nailed it Mr. Magoo! What kind of offense has a shooter like Beal standing idly off to the side while Wall dribbles the ball for 10 to 15 secs...or tries to force a pass into Nene or Gortat. Where is the movement? Where is the effort to get Beal an open 3. The kid shoots 40% from the arc...but takes only 3 or 4 threes a game.

[TGW]

Beal should be running off baseline screens and popping catch-and-shoot 3s all night, every night. 90% of his dribbling should occur only after pump fakes while driving to the rim. Randy is wasting him.

You nailed it Mr. Magoo! What kind of offense has a shooter like Beal standing idly off to the side while Wall dribbles the ball for 10 to 15 secs...or tries to force a pass into Nene or Gortat. Where is the movement? Where is the effort to get Beal an open 3. The kid shoots 40% from the arc...but takes only 3 or 4 threes a game.

Yep, the offense is putrid. It's not a shock that Wittman gets so defensive about it in interviews.

Before fishercob jumps off a ledge, lets agree that Beal is young and has plenty of time for improvements. But right now, he is not a good basketball player.

[jivelikenice]

My pre-draft concerns about Beal were the following:

1. In ability to create off the dribble
2. Height couple with low release
3. He didn't seem to play to his measurables in terms of athleticism
4. His shooting didn't translate on the floor. Was pretty good, but not great at Florida

After SL and his rookie year I was happy with the pick. During his sophomore year preseason I thought he was destined for stardom. During that PS he averaged 21ppg on 52% from the field and 47% from 3. Then the season started and the struggles began. He was decisive and aggressive that preseason. That being said it seemed like teams scouted him and once the regular season started and coached schemed for him, he struggled. Then his postseason happened and I was all bullish again but this regular season seems just like a repeat of last regular season, if not worse. When I see hi struggle now, the issues I had wit him pre-draft pop back up.

He's 21 so there's hope, but his 3rd season has to be considered a disappointment and the contract timeline complicates matters.