Bradley Beal - Part II

[Kanyewest]

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.

Beal has shown some improvement in the postseason. A higher percentage of Beal's shots are 3 pointers (33% compared to 30%). Beal is also getting to the free throw line more, overto 6 free throw attempts per game. Beal is also getting more assists and his assist to turnover ratio has improved in the postseason. Beal is also rebounding and blocking shots at a higher rate.

Still, despite all this Beal's TS % is slightly lower than his regular season totals at 51.4 % compared to 52.1% (although I believe that Beal's TS% is higher against the Hawks than in the regular season). Some of this has to do with the fact though that he's averaging 42 mpg and that he has to run around and chase Kyle Korver, who Beal so far has done an excellent job in limiting his offense.

[I_Like_Dirt]

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 wouldn't discount role in this analysis so quickly. The reality teams really only have so much ball possession time collectively for their players. Right now, Beal is being asked to spread the floor and take the tough shots while Wall handles the driving. If Beal drives and the kick out goes to Wall at the 3-point line, that really isn't a desirable outcome. The result is that opposing defenses, when they succeed in driving Beal off the 3-point line, put him in a situation to take some of the tougher 2-pointers the Wizards have to take.

Lots of teams have guys who perform this role, some do better than others, but it's usually a who's who of unsung heroes on teams. Lebron was talking about how he hated being inefficient for a game or two but his teammates needed him to be that way, well, the reality is that Lebron has been foisting that particular responsibility off on Kevin Love this season and Chris Bosh before that. I think Beal is on his way, and if Wall ever misses time, I think Beal is going to start showing more of what he can do. Not that the Wizards are better off without John Wall, because they aren't, but sometimes players have to jobs that don't reflect quite as immediately in the stat sheet in order to have team success. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen reinvented themselves next to KG and Rondo, James Harden surprised a lot of people who didn't realize what he could do when he was buried behind Westbrook and Durant, heck Westbrook surprised a lot of people when he was given a role that allowed him more control over his shot selection while Durant was out. Beal is figuring things out and has a ways to go, but he looks good to me thus far, but it would be a mistake to believe that the stats reflect his ability overall, rather than his ability to perform in the role he's been given.

[DCZards]

Some of Beal’s growth/improvement won’t necessarily show up in the box score or stats. But his teammates recognize and appreciate it…as this comment suggests.

“He’s shaking hands, telling everybody keep their head up, we’re all right,” Wizards reserve guard Garrett Temple said. “He tried to step up his game as much as he could to try to get us there, and [that] shows the type of player he’s capable of being, only being 21 and basically carrying us on his back in the second half. I do forget he’s 21. But he’s a pro. A pro’s pro.”

[King Ken]

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.

Stamina. Korver has elite stamina, he can burst off of cuts and screens and not get tired. It's one of his best traits. You have to have great stamina to consistently do this.

[Illmatic12]

So impressed by Beal on defense, he's been incredible. I didn't know he had it in him to play at this level on both ends.

[Higga]

I love Beal but his lack of foot speed and explosiveness is really annoying to watch. He can't consistently beat anyone off the dribble. Don't think he'll ever be a superstar but he'll absolutely be a really good #2 complimentary star to Wall.

He's been really good on D though for sure shutting down Korver.

[Dat2U]

Beal is definitely growing before our eyes. I think his biggest remaining weakness is the muscles in/around his cavs/knees/ankles. I simply don't think he's strong enough in the lower body. It really shows on his finishes at the rim. There's not much explosion there. But the talk about him being a slow afoot or not a great athlete is a misnomer. He simply needs to put in a solid offseason working on building up the lower body.

[DCZards]

^^^^Yeah, Beal is a better athlete that many here give him credit for. He's still maturing both physically and mentally, which comes as no surprise given that he's just 21 years old. I'm convinced that in 2-3 years BB will be a very good SG--maybe even an all-star--and a great complement to JWall.

[stevemcqueen1]

Beal's been the silver lining in a frustrating series. He's averaging 24, 5, and 5 and almost 2 steals. Won us game one and almost won us game four. Doing this at age 21 in the playoffs is a clear indicator of future stardom. He's so far ahead of his peers from the past couple draft classes that they aren't actually considered his peers. The kid is going to be the best SG in the NBA in a couple of years.

An improvement I want to see from him is the development of a mid range game. He can score inside and hit threes at an All Star level. I want to see him round out his ability to score from everywhere by learning to shoot floaters like Wall did and shoot mid range pull ups and step backs like Pierce. Adding the ability to create good scoring opportunities in the intermediate areas for himself would give him the ability to average 25 a game.

[Higga]

Beal is definitely growing before our eyes. I think his biggest remaining weakness is the muscles in/around his cavs/knees/ankles. I simply don't think he's strong enough in the lower body. It really shows on his finishes at the rim. There's not much explosion there. But the talk about him being a slow afoot or not a great athlete is a misnomer. He simply needs to put in a solid offseason working on building up the lower body.

That's a good point.

There are many times where gets to the basket but doesn't really finish strong at the basket and ends up bricking. Doesn't quite seem to have the strength to maintain his body positioning while going up to shoot and he ends up getting knocked off balance.

Of course, it'd help if the refs actually showed him some love and called some fouls in his favor, but I guess he hasn't earned that yet.

[TheSecretWeapon]

Beal's been the silver lining in a frustrating series. He's averaging 24, 5, and 5 and almost 2 steals. Won us game one and almost won us game four. Doing this at age 21 in the playoffs is a clear indicator of future stardom. He's so far ahead of his peers from the past couple draft classes that they aren't actually considered his peers. The kid is going to be the best SG in the NBA in a couple of years.

An improvement I want to see from him is the development of a mid range game. He can score inside and hit threes at an All Star level. I want to see him round out his ability to score from everywhere by learning to shoot floaters like Wall did and shoot mid range pull ups and step backs like Pierce. Adding the ability to create good scoring opportunities in the intermediate areas for himself would give him the ability to average 25 a game.

I'd like to see him make two improvements in that area. First, I want to see him get better shooting from mid-range. And then, I want to see him change his shot selection to take WAY fewer of them. When he has to take a mid-range jumper, I want it to go in. But, I'd much rather see him shift to the more efficient approach of emphasizing the three, attacking the basket, and shooting free throws.

[dckingsfan]

I would add - that during the regular season, I would like to see him play D on a consistent basis.

[stevemcqueen1]

Beal's been the silver lining in a frustrating series. He's averaging 24, 5, and 5 and almost 2 steals. Won us game one and almost won us game four. Doing this at age 21 in the playoffs is a clear indicator of future stardom. He's so far ahead of his peers from the past couple draft classes that they aren't actually considered his peers. The kid is going to be the best SG in the NBA in a couple of years.

An improvement I want to see from him is the development of a mid range game. He can score inside and hit threes at an All Star level. I want to see him round out his ability to score from everywhere by learning to shoot floaters like Wall did and shoot mid range pull ups and step backs like Pierce. Adding the ability to create good scoring opportunities in the intermediate areas for himself would give him the ability to average 25 a game.

I'd like to see him make two improvements in that area. First, I want to see him get better shooting from mid-range. And then, I want to see him change his shot selection to take WAY fewer of them. When he has to take a mid-range jumper, I want it to go in. But, I'd much rather see him shift to the more efficient approach of emphasizing the three, attacking the basket, and shooting free throws.

He didn't take it to the basket much in the regular season. Been doing way more of it during the playoffs and lo and behold, it's a real weapon for him. It doesn't make sense. The postseason is where driving lanes are supposed to be shut down and you are forced to score in mid range. And as the primary ball handler when John was out, he drove more. Despite the defense keying on him.

To me, that is an indication of spacing and aggression issues. John doesn't space the floor for Beal. And Nene certainly doesn't. And also Beal played a much more passive role until now. The playoffs seem to light his competitive fire. Next year I want to see him playing with a similar intensity throughout the regular season too.

[TheSecretWeapon]

Beal's been the silver lining in a frustrating series. He's averaging 24, 5, and 5 and almost 2 steals. Won us game one and almost won us game four. Doing this at age 21 in the playoffs is a clear indicator of future stardom. He's so far ahead of his peers from the past couple draft classes that they aren't actually considered his peers. The kid is going to be the best SG in the NBA in a couple of years.

An improvement I want to see from him is the development of a mid range game. He can score inside and hit threes at an All Star level. I want to see him round out his ability to score from everywhere by learning to shoot floaters like Wall did and shoot mid range pull ups and step backs like Pierce. Adding the ability to create good scoring opportunities in the intermediate areas for himself would give him the ability to average 25 a game.

I'd like to see him make two improvements in that area. First, I want to see him get better shooting from mid-range. And then, I want to see him change his shot selection to take WAY fewer of them. When he has to take a mid-range jumper, I want it to go in. But, I'd much rather see him shift to the more efficient approach of emphasizing the three, attacking the basket, and shooting free throws.

He didn't take it to the basket much in the regular season. Been doing way more of it during the playoffs and lo and behold, it's a real weapon for him. It doesn't make sense. The postseason is where driving lanes are supposed to be shut down and you are forced to score in mid range. And as the primary ball handler when John was out, he drove more. Despite the defense keying on him.

To me, that is an indication of spacing and aggression issues. John doesn't space the floor for Beal. And Nene certainly doesn't. And also Beal played a much more passive role until now. The playoffs seem to light his competitive fire. Next year I want to see him playing with a similar intensity throughout the regular season too.

It is really interesting how different Beal is playing than he did during the regular season. Driving is one of those things. According to NBA.com, Beal drove the ball 3.6 times per game, which created (combining his own scoring and assists) 4.0 points per game. In the playoffs, Beal has driven 7.4 times per game, which has led to 9.1 points per game for the team.

And, just to make things really interesting -- Beal is the only guy on the team with a significant change in driving frequency from regular season to playoffs. So, it's not like he's driving more because someone else is driving less. Wall is up 0.8 drives per game (meaning: about the same), and that's the biggest change other than Beal among the rotation guys. Bynum is up, but he hasn't played much. This is strictly a change in how Beal is playing.

[Baam]

I think smallball benefits him more than any player, as smallball provides him the spacing to drive while in big lineups there isn't as much room...

If a stretch 4 like Love where to opt out to come to Washington, I think Beal would be way better as well as a result...

[nate33]

He didn't take it to the basket much in the regular season. Been doing way more of it during the playoffs and lo and behold, it's a real weapon for him. It doesn't make sense. The postseason is where driving lanes are supposed to be shut down and you are forced to score in mid range. And as the primary ball handler when John was out, he drove more. Despite the defense keying on him.

To me, that is an indication of spacing and aggression issues. John doesn't space the floor for Beal. And Nene certainly doesn't. And also Beal played a much more passive role until now. The playoffs seem to light his competitive fire. Next year I want to see him playing with a similar intensity throughout the regular season too.

It is really interesting how different Beal is playing than he did during the regular season. Driving is one of those things. According to NBA.com, Beal drove the ball 3.6 times per game, which created (combining his own scoring and assists) 4.0 points per game. In the playoffs, Beal has driven 7.4 times per game, which has led to 9.1 points per game for the team.

And, just to make things really interesting -- Beal is the only guy on the team with a significant change in driving frequency from regular season to playoffs. So, it's not like he's driving more because someone else is driving less. Wall is up 0.8 drives per game (meaning: about the same), and that's the biggest change other than Beal among the rotation guys. Bynum is up, but he hasn't played much. This is strictly a change in how Beal is playing.

As Baam mentioned, this is the influence of playing a stretch four instead of a traditional big at the 4 spot. It's a completely different offense when we have Pierce or Gooden camping out on the 3-point line. When Wall was healthy, the Wall/Gortat pick-and-roll was automatic points. When Wall got hurt, Beal took advantage by driving aggressively.

It was all made possible by Pierce and Gooden at the 4. Humphries better keep practicing those 3-pointers if he wants to play next year.

[fishercob]

He didn't take it to the basket much in the regular season. Been doing way more of it during the playoffs and lo and behold, it's a real weapon for him. It doesn't make sense. The postseason is where driving lanes are supposed to be shut down and you are forced to score in mid range. And as the primary ball handler when John was out, he drove more. Despite the defense keying on him.

To me, that is an indication of spacing and aggression issues. John doesn't space the floor for Beal. And Nene certainly doesn't. And also Beal played a much more passive role until now. The playoffs seem to light his competitive fire. Next year I want to see him playing with a similar intensity throughout the regular season too.

It is really interesting how different Beal is playing than he did during the regular season. Driving is one of those things. According to NBA.com, Beal drove the ball 3.6 times per game, which created (combining his own scoring and assists) 4.0 points per game. In the playoffs, Beal has driven 7.4 times per game, which has led to 9.1 points per game for the team.

And, just to make things really interesting -- Beal is the only guy on the team with a significant change in driving frequency from regular season to playoffs. So, it's not like he's driving more because someone else is driving less. Wall is up 0.8 drives per game (meaning: about the same), and that's the biggest change other than Beal among the rotation guys. Bynum is up, but he hasn't played much. This is strictly a change in how Beal is playing.

As Baam mentioned, this is the influence of playing a stretch four instead of a traditional big at the 4 spot. It's a completely different offense when we have Pierce or Gooden camping out on the 3-point line. When Wall was healthy, the Wall/Gortat pick-and-roll was automatic points. When Wall got hurt, Beal took advantage by driving aggressively.

It was all made possible by Pierce and Gooden at the 4. Humphries better keep practicing those 3-pointers if he wants to play next year.

No doubt. There's a reason many of us begged for Ilyasova for some many of years.

Speaking of which, his contract only runs one more season. I wonder....

[DCZards]

No doubt. There's a reason many of us begged for Ilyasova for some many of years.

Speaking of which, his contract only runs one more season. I wonder....

Is Ilyasova really a serious consideration for the Zards? He may have been 2-3 years ago but I'm not impressed by his play the last couple of years. Plus he's injured a lot. He's only averaged 60 games the last two seasons.

Thanks, TSW, for the stats on how much more BB has been attacking the basket during the postseason. I read an interview of Beal toward the end of the regular season where he admitted that one of his problems is that he's naturally an "unselfish" person and, as a result, he would often try to get teammates involved rather than look for his shot. I think he's starting to get the message that the best thing he can do for his team and his teammates is to be more "selfish."

Going to the Zards-Hawks game tonight. I'll be wearing my Bradley Beal t-shirt that I special ordered online. Looking for Double B to drop at least 25 tonight...and for the home team to force a Game 7. Go Zards!

[hands11]

Hell of a series by Beal...

Man props Mr Beal.. Dude plays with skill and heart.

[stevemcqueen1]

On the bright side, Beal is an utter stud. He is special and he and Wall are going to compete for championships for a long time. Now we just have to find some bigs that can compete along side them. We need Porter to blossom into the player he showed glimpses of this postseason. And we need a real PF.