Bradley Beal - Part II

[hands11]

Impressive young man

http://www.monumentalnetwork.com/videos/bradley-beal-postgame-presser-5-11-15

You can hear the Paul Effect on him for sure.

[dandridge 10]

I guess what I was hoping for was that "break out" - kind of like Porter. Maybe next year...

Its going to be hard for Beal to have a "break out" without Wall. Let's face it, Beal just doesn't have the handles yet to take over a game on his own. For the most part, he needs to have someone "set him" up to be as effective as he can be on the offensive end. Add that to the fact that defenses are able to double team him more with Wall out and that will limit his opportunities.

With that said, I have been pretty happy with Beal's play so far, especially last game. His defense on Korver has been excellent, and he is not trying to do too much and has been moving the ball when he has been doubled. That will be the key for him going forward. If he can continue to play excellent D, become more of a facilitator, and take his opportunities as he goes, I think that is the best we can hope for.

I would not compare him to Otto. Teams are not focusing their D on Otto and that is one of the reasons why he has broken out. With Wall out, I think the Hawk's game plan starts with stopping Beal.

Well, Beal must have read my post before the game last night and said to himself, "I'm going to make that guy eat his words." I was real happy how Beal took the ball to the rim last night.

[hands11]

I guess what I was hoping for was that "break out" - kind of like Porter. Maybe next year...

Its going to be hard for Beal to have a "break out" without Wall. Let's face it, Beal just doesn't have the handles yet to take over a game on his own. For the most part, he needs to have someone "set him" up to be as effective as he can be on the offensive end. Add that to the fact that defenses are able to double team him more with Wall out and that will limit his opportunities.

With that said, I have been pretty happy with Beal's play so far, especially last game. His defense on Korver has been excellent, and he is not trying to do too much and has been moving the ball when he has been doubled. That will be the key for him going forward. If he can continue to play excellent D, become more of a facilitator, and take his opportunities as he goes, I think that is the best we can hope for.

I would not compare him to Otto. Teams are not focusing their D on Otto and that is one of the reasons why he has broken out. With Wall out, I think the Hawk's game plan starts with stopping Beal.

Well, Beal must have read my post before the game last night and said to himself, "I'm going to make that guy eat his words." I was real happy how Beal took the ball to the rim last night.

Right...

I see what you did there.

[queridiculo]

Well, Beal must have read my post before the game last night and said to himself, "I'm going to make that guy eat his words." I was real happy how Beal took the ball to the rim last night.

What impressed me was how decisive he was out there. Almost every move he made was with a purpose.

He left it all out there, and gave everything on both ends of the floor. Not sure what was said at halftime, but he seemed to be the embodiment of the fighting spirit the Wizards needed to have to win this game.

Wish we could say the same for some of the other starters on the floor.

[dobrojim]

Beal was on a mission last night. You could palpably sense his determination.

[Higga]

Beal is growing up before our eyes. Still want him to attack the basket even more though, but we're starting to see a star be born.

[stevemcqueen1]

Beal was on a mission last night. You could palpably sense his determination.

Yeah his intensity level has been so good this postseason. Seems like he's taken Pierce's challenge to bring it every game to heart. Last night he played with the fire of Westbrook or Wade and gave the Hawks everything they could handle. Took the ball to the hole over and over again on two and three defenders and scored through the contact. That was impressive.

[tontoz]

It is nice to see Beal attack the basket but the fact that he didn't do that much in the regular season really shows. There is no change of pace/misdirection/pump fakes. He is predictable. If he was attacking more during the regular season he would probably have developed more variety in his game.

Wall used to have the same problem of being too predictable. He would drive all out, frequently out of control, and try to force his way to the rim with mixed results. But he did that all season long and eventually added some control/variety to his game.

Beal is shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs. His TS of 51.4% is pretty weak.

[fishercob]

It is nice to see Beal attack the basket but the fact that he didn't do that much in the regular season really shows. There is no change of pace/misdirection/pump fakes. He is predictable. If he was attacking more during the regular season he would probably have developed more variety in his game.

Wall used to have the same problem of being too predictable. He would drive all out, frequently out of control, and try to force his way to the rim with mixed results. But he did that all season long and eventually added some control/variety to his game.

Beal is shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs. His TS of 51.4% is pretty weak.

I don't disagree with any of this per se, but he's being asked to do so much offensively without Wall. We don't have any other guards that can create directly for him, nor can our backup PG's run the pick and roll with Gortat that creates open 3's.

Defensively, consider the following:

Korver's offensive rating in each of his games against BKN: 129, 147, 56, 115, 114, 154 = 119/gm
Korver's ORtg in 4 games vs the Wiz: 94, 101, 75, 91 = 90/gm -- in 38 mpg.

Beal is completely shutting Korver down while trying to carry a huge load on offense.

[tontoz]

It is nice to see Beal attack the basket but the fact that he didn't do that much in the regular season really shows. There is no change of pace/misdirection/pump fakes. He is predictable. If he was attacking more during the regular season he would probably have developed more variety in his game.

Wall used to have the same problem of being too predictable. He would drive all out, frequently out of control, and try to force his way to the rim with mixed results. But he did that all season long and eventually added some control/variety to his game.

Beal is shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs. His TS of 51.4% is pretty weak.

I don't disagree with any of this per se, but he's being asked to do so much offensively without Wall. We don't have any other guards that can create directly for him, nor can our backup PG's run the pick and roll with Gortat that creates open 3's.

Defensively, consider the following:

Korver's offensive rating in each of his games against BKN: 129, 147, 56, 115, 114, 154 = 119/gm
Korver's ORtg in 4 games vs the Wiz: 94, 101, 75, 91 = 90/gm -- in 38 mpg.

Beal is completely shutting Korver down while trying to carry a huge load on offense.

Beal has played 3 games without Wall, 5 games with him.

Defensively he has been strong obviously but shooting 40% on 2s is not ok. He shot 43% on 2s during the regular season. You would be hard pressed to find a quality starting 2 who shot worse than Beal inside the arc.

[barelyawake]

It is nice to see Beal attack the basket but the fact that he didn't do that much in the regular season really shows. There is no change of pace/misdirection/pump fakes. He is predictable. If he was attacking more during the regular season he would probably have developed more variety in his game.

Wall used to have the same problem of being too predictable. He would drive all out, frequently out of control, and try to force his way to the rim with mixed results. But he did that all season long and eventually added some control/variety to his game.

Beal is shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs. His TS of 51.4% is pretty weak.

Agreed. Beal doesn't have the speed to beat the top guys off the dribble. He needs to employ a more varied array of eye and ball fakes to carve out his niche. He needs to learn to distribute better, so that is a viable threat as well. I love his passion for this team and love the Wall pairing. I still would trade Beal for a big man star, but I do dig the boy's development.

[Ruzious]

It is nice to see Beal attack the basket but the fact that he didn't do that much in the regular season really shows. There is no change of pace/misdirection/pump fakes. He is predictable. If he was attacking more during the regular season he would probably have developed more variety in his game.

Wall used to have the same problem of being too predictable. He would drive all out, frequently out of control, and try to force his way to the rim with mixed results. But he did that all season long and eventually added some control/variety to his game.

Beal is shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs. His TS of 51.4% is pretty weak.

Agreed. Beal doesn't have the speed to beat the top guys off the dribble. He needs to employ a more varied array of eye and ball fakes to carve out his niche. He needs to learn to distribute better, so that is a viable threat as well. I love his passion for this team and love the Wall pairing. I still would trade Beal for a big man star, but I do dig the boy's development.

Yup, like Steve mentioned, I've never seen him play with the kind of intensity he's shown in some of the playoff games - not sure he's shown in each game, but it's hard to play every game like it's life or death. He's played harder than Pierce imo, so maybe the student has exceeded the teacher in that regard. One thing Beal has shown to be physically better at than I thought he was as a rookie - is in transition. When he gets out on the break, he can finish with nearly Wall-like speed and with power. He obviously doesn't do it as often as Wall, but maybe they can set up more situations like that - especially when Atlanta's guards drive the lane and shoot - let Beal leak out early for a transition bucket.

[stevemcqueen1]

It is nice to see Beal attack the basket but the fact that he didn't do that much in the regular season really shows. There is no change of pace/misdirection/pump fakes. He is predictable. If he was attacking more during the regular season he would probably have developed more variety in his game.

Wall used to have the same problem of being too predictable. He would drive all out, frequently out of control, and try to force his way to the rim with mixed results. But he did that all season long and eventually added some control/variety to his game.

Beal is shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs. His TS of 51.4% is pretty weak.

Agreed. Beal doesn't have the speed to beat the top guys off the dribble. He needs to employ a more varied array of eye and ball fakes to carve out his niche. He needs to learn to distribute better, so that is a viable threat as well. I love his passion for this team and love the Wall pairing. I still would trade Beal for a big man star, but I do dig the boy's development.

Yup, like Steve mentioned, I've never seen him play with the kind of intensity he's shown in some of the playoff games - not sure he's shown in each game, but it's hard to play every game like it's life or death. He's played harder than Pierce imo, so maybe the student has exceeded the teacher in that regard. One thing Beal has shown to be physically better at than I thought he was as a rookie - is in transition. When he gets out on the break, he can finish with nearly Wall-like speed and with power. He obviously doesn't do it as often as Wall, but maybe they can set up more situations like that - especially when Atlanta's guards drive the lane and shoot - let Beal leak out early for a transition bucket.

The rebounders don't seem to look for him to let him carry the ball up the court on the break. They always outlet the ball to the PG and Beal always fills a lane or trails the ball for threes. With Wall out, I'd like to see Beal get a chance to run the break too just to see how well he does it.

Only problem is that he and Pierce are our only good options for trailing threes and Sessions isn't really much of an option for it. And Sessions is good at running the break.

[Ruzious]

Agreed. Beal doesn't have the speed to beat the top guys off the dribble. He needs to employ a more varied array of eye and ball fakes to carve out his niche. He needs to learn to distribute better, so that is a viable threat as well. I love his passion for this team and love the Wall pairing. I still would trade Beal for a big man star, but I do dig the boy's development.

Yup, like Steve mentioned, I've never seen him play with the kind of intensity he's shown in some of the playoff games - not sure he's shown in each game, but it's hard to play every game like it's life or death. He's played harder than Pierce imo, so maybe the student has exceeded the teacher in that regard. One thing Beal has shown to be physically better at than I thought he was as a rookie - is in transition. When he gets out on the break, he can finish with nearly Wall-like speed and with power. He obviously doesn't do it as often as Wall, but maybe they can set up more situations like that - especially when Atlanta's guards drive the lane and shoot - let Beal leak out early for a transition bucket.

The rebounders don't seem to look for him to let him carry the ball up the court on the break. They always outlet the ball to the PG and Beal always fills a lane or trails the ball for threes. With Wall out, I'd like to see Beal get a chance to run the break too just to see how well he does it.

Only problem is that he and Pierce are our only good options for trailing threes and Sessions isn't really much of an option for it. And Sessions is good at running the break.

I'm thinking back to when Jason Kidd was in his prime with the Nets. Whoever got the defensive rebound would immediately get him the ball, and then he'd look up court to either Richard Jefferson or their speedy shooting guard who's name I can't remember (I think he was from Syracuse.). Of course, Kidd had the advantage of having 2 wings who could fly up-court. He didn't actually do the running himself like Wall does.

[dobrojim]

kerry Kittles

[LyricalRico]

kerry Kittles

Talk about a blast from the past...

[Ruzious]

kerry Kittles

Talk about a blast from the past...

Voosh. He just ran past you, caught a perfect 40 foot bounce pass from Kidd, and made a layup.

Thanks Jim.

[DCZards]

It is nice to see Beal attack the basket but the fact that he didn't do that much in the regular season really shows. There is no change of pace/misdirection/pump fakes. He is predictable. If he was attacking more during the regular season he would probably have developed more variety in his game.

Wall used to have the same problem of being too predictable. He would drive all out, frequently out of control, and try to force his way to the rim with mixed results. But he did that all season long and eventually added some control/variety to his game.

Beal is shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs. His TS of 51.4% is pretty weak.

A little context, please. Bradley may be shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs but let's not forget that he's a marked man in this series against the Hawks, especially with Wall out. The Hawks recognize that BB is the Zards most potent perimeter threat so naturally they're gearing their D to stop him. Yet Beal is still been getting it done on the offensive end for the most part, and playing great D as well. And his effort and intensity on both ends of the court has been outstanding.

As far as BB attacking the basket, he's been doing more and more of it as the season has gone on. It just didn't start with the playoffs. Yeah, Beal needs to get better at penetrating but he clearly knows that attacking the basket has to be an important part of his offensive arsenal. I'd expect him to get better at it as he continues to mature both physically and mentally. He's still just 21.

[DMVleGeND]

One thing I wish Bradley had was more burst coming off screens. For example, look at Kyle Korver. Even though he's been shut down this series, he's able to blast through screens and create separation because of his burst. We try to use Beal the same way many times, but it's not as effective because he can't create separation as well.

[tontoz]

It is nice to see Beal attack the basket but the fact that he didn't do that much in the regular season really shows. There is no change of pace/misdirection/pump fakes. He is predictable. If he was attacking more during the regular season he would probably have developed more variety in his game.

Wall used to have the same problem of being too predictable. He would drive all out, frequently out of control, and try to force his way to the rim with mixed results. But he did that all season long and eventually added some control/variety to his game.

Beal is shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs. His TS of 51.4% is pretty weak.

A little context, please. Bradley may be shooting 40% on 2s in the playoffs but let's not forget that he's a marked man in this series against the Hawks, especially with Wall out. The Hawks recognize that BB is the Zards most potent perimeter threat so naturally they're gearing their D to stop him. Yet Beal is still been getting it done on the offensive end for the most part, and playing great D as well. And his effort and intensity on both ends of the court has been outstanding.

As far as BB attacking the basket, he's been doing more and more of it as the season has gone on. It just didn't start with the playoffs. Yeah, Beal needs to get better at penetrating but he clearly knows that attacking the basket has to be an important part of his offensive arsenal. I'd expect him to get better at it as he continues to mature both physically and mentally. He's still just 21.

Context? He is a career 43% shooter on 2s in the regular season and a career 41.5% shooter on 2s in the playoffs. He has been consistently bad inside the 3 point line. He has shown no sign of improvement after playing 3 years of big minutes.