Bradley Beal - Part III

[stevemcqueen1]

I can think of very few examples of guys who have learned to create off the dribble after entering the league. Beal is one of them. (Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are others). His improvement has been remarkable. He is such a complete scorer right now and he is so fundamentally sound with his footwork. He has a bit of Steve Nash in him in the way he utilizes the fear of his jumper in order to sneak into the lane and finish at the rim, all without the need for elite athleticism.

The numbers didn't tell the story with Beal because he spent so much time out with injury or on the floor with injury. He was advancing his skills but it wasn't showing up in his production. Last year he was showing us growth. He was running pick and rolls and had developed his off the dribble game from mid range. He just kept getting hurt.

But, we had a debate a long time ago about how tough the learning curve is for young wings, and I think you have to acknowledge now that it's very steep. We've seen blue chip PGs and bigs come in and make immediate impacts, but all of the best wings in the league today except LeBron and Durant took a while to get good. I think this is for a couple of reasons:

- They have to learn the off ball game in ways that PGs do not.
- They also have to learn to slash in ways that bigs do not.
- Their defensive assignments are way more diverse and difficult than the PG's.
- NBA shooting takes a while to master, and shooting is a much bigger part of their job than it is for any other position.

A PG who can't shoot or play team defense can come in and score and dish based off innate talent and instinct and be productive early in his career.

A big who can't play team defense or create shots for himself can come in and rebound and use his superior speed and leaping ability to get points, or use his shooting touch to catch and shoot open jumpers because NBA bigs won't guard him most of the time.

Wings don't get the ball in their hands every possession to put up volume like PGs do. Unlike bigs they get guarded on the perimeter. And unlike with the PG, not knowing how to play defense is harder to hide because they're expected to guard all of the perimeter positions.

What we've seen is guys needing to develop until they reach their mid 20s before they break out as dominant wings.

[DCZards]

The thing to remember about Beal, and one of the reasons that I was so bullish on his development even while he struggled a bit, is that he always possessed the rudimentary ability to create shots for himself. As a young player, and Beal confirmed this in multiple interviews, Beal actually patterned his game after Allen Iverson. If you saw him play in high school, he possessed the ball a ton, demonstrated competent ball handling ability, and generated offense for himself consistently (including in high level allstar games). He didn't start from the position of a non-ball handler/shooter, he started from a scorer/shooter baseline. That does not always translate gong forward obviously (often players have to adjust parts of their games as they progress into higher levels of competition), but as we're seeing, Beal has developed the capacity to create for himself, and to me, that is in part due to the fact that he had an unrefined ability to handle the rock even as a young player in the league. He's really just gone on to burnish that portion of his skill set.

He'll never be AI or Harden in terms of initiating offense/creating off the dribble, but he already possesses a better handle than Ray Allen or Allen Houston (I watched Ray from his days in UConn very closely), and I can imagine him getting to a Dwade level of ball handling before its all said and done. Don't misunderstand me, he won't be the singular force that prime Wade was because he's not as physically gifted, but in terms of handling the ball, I could very easily see him reach that level of competence as soon as his 25th birthday.

I disagree. Beal was embarrassingly bad as a one-on-one ball-handler/shot creator in his first 2 seasons. Any Bradley Beal isolation usually ended up in a turnover. He was terrible. His crossover was way too high and often got tipped by the defender.

He has improved his handle dramatically since entering the league.

Yeah, BB struggled as a ball handler his first couple of years in the NBA. It's still not his strong suit but he's clearly put a lot of work into it and is getting better and better at it.

What I see far too often from Beal are lazy, careless passes that become turnovers. That's as much or more mental/focus as physical.

[Illmatic12]

I remember people on this board comparing their shooting splits and saying Brad would "never" be on Klay's level, and I said that people are discounting the 3yr age difference. Sure enough, as he enters his prime Beal is surpassing Thompson offensively

Beal's comp isn't vs any SG who's currently playing. His comp is vs Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. When you start talking about an SG who can average 20+ppg on 60 TS% that's the historical territory we're getting into. Harden does it, but as a FT drawing machine and not a floor-spacing sharpshooter.


Interesting query: guards who have posted a season over 60 TS% by their age 24 season (Brad is 23yo) sorted by ppg

http://bkref.com/tiny/2PbzR

I am eating serious crow on Beal. I really didn't think he'd pan out to be much more than a Hersey Hawkins type of guy - a reliable catch-and-shoot scorer who could also finish on the break, but not really a shot creator.

Boy was I wrong.

I can think of very few examples of guys who have learned to create off the dribble after entering the league. Beal is one of them. (Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are others). His improvement has been remarkable. He is such a complete scorer right now and he is so fundamentally sound with his footwork. He has a bit of Steve Nash in him in the way he utilizes the fear of his jumper in order to sneak into the lane and finish at the rim, all without the need for elite athleticism.

The only thing left to add to his arsenal is the ability to draw fouls at a higher rate.

Looking back, I think we can conclude that Beal's leg injuries really limited him more than people realized publicly. It often seemed like there was something mental holding him back from going 100% , especially driving to the rim.. almost like he was afraid to get injured. The organization did a good job of shielding him from the media , but I'm sure those were very trying times behind the scenes for a young guy and mentally he wasn't himself out there. Think I've heard it mentioned that he also wasn't able to work on his game in the offseason as hard as other players (due to rehabbing).. there were a lot of factors holding him back from breaking out earlier in his career.


With Brad I always go back to that 2014 playoffs. If you asked me before the series , I would've thought that Brad would shrink under the pressure/physicality and John would shine as the #1 guy, but it was almost the opposite. You don't normally see a 20yo show that kind of poise in their first playoff series, especially going against elite defenders in Jimmy Butler and Paul George . After seeing how he played, I always felt Beal had something greater that could be tapped into

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

The fact that Brad still progressed to this level despite the injury setbacks, it shows a lot about the kid we drafted. He has a mental toughness and inner determination that is rare, even among other NBA players. I think the organization was impressed by that work ethic/character from seeing him up close every day, and seeing what kind of work he was putting in - they gambled on him and it paid off.

[Illmatic12]

I can think of very few examples of guys who have learned to create off the dribble after entering the league. Beal is one of them. (Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are others). His improvement has been remarkable. He is such a complete scorer right now and he is so fundamentally sound with his footwork. He has a bit of Steve Nash in him in the way he utilizes the fear of his jumper in order to sneak into the lane and finish at the rim, all without the need for elite athleticism.

The numbers didn't tell the story with Beal because he spent so much time out with injury or on the floor with injury. He was advancing his skills but it wasn't showing up in his production. Last year he was showing us growth. He was running pick and rolls and had developed his off the dribble game from mid range. He just kept getting hurt.

But, we had a debate a long time ago about how tough the learning curve is for young wings, and I think you have to acknowledge now that it's very steep. We've seen blue chip PGs and bigs come in and make immediate impacts, but all of the best wings in the league today except LeBron and Durant took a while to get good. I think this is for a couple of reasons:

- They have to learn the off ball game in ways that PGs do not.
- They also have to learn to slash in ways that bigs do not.
- Their defensive assignments are way more diverse and difficult than the PG's.
- NBA shooting takes a while to master, and shooting is a much bigger part of their job than it is for any other position.

A PG who can't shoot or play team defense can come in and score and dish based off innate talent and instinct and be productive early in his career.

A big who can't play team defense or create shots for himself can come in and rebound and use his superior speed and leaping ability to get points, or use his shooting touch to catch and shoot open jumpers because NBA bigs won't guard him most of the time.

Wings don't get the ball in their hands every possession to put up volume like PGs do. Unlike bigs they get guarded on the perimeter. And unlike with the PG, not knowing how to play defense is harder to hide because they're expected to guard all of the perimeter positions.

What we've seen is guys needing to develop until they reach their mid 20s before they break out as dominant wings.

Great post, agree with these. Another point is that in general, physical strength and endurance are very underrated requirements for wings or players who are mostly off the ball. The league isn't as physical as it used to be, but you still get beat up a lot playing off the ball. If you're weaker than your opponents (and most 19-20yos are), it puts you at a disadvantage in a lot of different areas.. being able to fight for position, slashing to the hoop, defense, etc. Just leveling up in strength with age helps wing players immensely.

It's why I kinda chuckle at people who say Andrew Wiggins and Devin Booker aren't going to be good "because of their advanced stats, ws/48 blah blah".. they're 21yo kids! When those two get stronger and learn the tricks of the trade, how to set themselves up for easier shots, how to beat a defender to their spots etc - they'll be dominating. Especially Booker.. if he develops similar to how Beal did he is going to be hell in a few years.

[stevemcqueen1]

I can think of very few examples of guys who have learned to create off the dribble after entering the league. Beal is one of them. (Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are others). His improvement has been remarkable. He is such a complete scorer right now and he is so fundamentally sound with his footwork. He has a bit of Steve Nash in him in the way he utilizes the fear of his jumper in order to sneak into the lane and finish at the rim, all without the need for elite athleticism.

The numbers didn't tell the story with Beal because he spent so much time out with injury or on the floor with injury. He was advancing his skills but it wasn't showing up in his production. Last year he was showing us growth. He was running pick and rolls and had developed his off the dribble game from mid range. He just kept getting hurt.

But, we had a debate a long time ago about how tough the learning curve is for young wings, and I think you have to acknowledge now that it's very steep. We've seen blue chip PGs and bigs come in and make immediate impacts, but all of the best wings in the league today except LeBron and Durant took a while to get good. I think this is for a couple of reasons:

- They have to learn the off ball game in ways that PGs do not.
- They also have to learn to slash in ways that bigs do not.
- Their defensive assignments are way more diverse and difficult than the PG's.
- NBA shooting takes a while to master, and shooting is a much bigger part of their job than it is for any other position.

A PG who can't shoot or play team defense can come in and score and dish based off innate talent and instinct and be productive early in his career.

A big who can't play team defense or create shots for himself can come in and rebound and use his superior speed and leaping ability to get points, or use his shooting touch to catch and shoot open jumpers because NBA bigs won't guard him most of the time.

Wings don't get the ball in their hands every possession to put up volume like PGs do. Unlike bigs they get guarded on the perimeter. And unlike with the PG, not knowing how to play defense is harder to hide because they're expected to guard all of the perimeter positions.

What we've seen is guys needing to develop until they reach their mid 20s before they break out as dominant wings.

Great post, agree with these. Another point is that in general, physical strength and endurance are very underrated requirements for wings or players who are mostly off the ball. The league isn't as physical as it used to be, but you still get beat up a lot playing off the ball. If you're weaker than your opponents (and most 19-20yos are), it puts you at a disadvantage in a lot of different areas.. being able to fight for position, slashing to the hoop, defense, etc. Just leveling up in strength with age helps wing players immensely.

It's why I kinda chuckle at people who say Andrew Wiggins and Devin Booker aren't going to be good "because of their advanced stats, ws/48 blah blah".. they're 21yo kids! When those two get stronger and learn the tricks of the trade, how to set themselves up for easier shots, how to beat a defender to their spots etc - they'll be dominating. Especially Booker.. if he develops similar to how Beal did he is going to be hell in a few years.

Yep, a lot of times wings come in less physically developed than other positions. A lot of PGs come in with bodies that are pretty close to NBA ready. And a lot of bigs come in already 240 pounds or more for some reason. But you'll see wings come in that are a legit 6'8 or 6'9 and 200 pounds or less. They'll need to add like 30 pounds of bulk within their first few seasons, which is a pretty big transformation for guys with amazingly high metabolisms.

The difference in the bodies of guys like Wiggins and Brandon Ingram and guys like Kawhi, LeBron, and Jimmy Butler is huge. These players really transform by their mid to late 20s.

I was actually thinking about Devin Booker earlier, specifically in how he compared to Beal. http://bkref.com/tiny/HtkVx

Pretty similar numbers, but Beal was better than him. Makes sense, Beal was a blue chip 3rd overall pick and Devin Booker was a late lottery guy. But, if Booker follows Beal's track, he's going to end up being an All Star and one of the best SGs in the NBA. It wouldn't surprise me if Booker ends up being a top five scorer when he hits his prime.

[Wizardspride]

Read on Twitter

[europeanfan]

The feels when he talks about John like that.

That don't think the defense is quite back yet.

[deneem4]

Beal is an 86 on 2k...
Means hes one of the best 30 players in the league

[payitforward]

I remember people on this board comparing their shooting splits and saying Brad would "never" be on Klay's level, and I said that people are discounting the 3yr age difference. Sure enough, as he enters his prime Beal is surpassing Thompson offensively

Beal's comp isn't vs any SG who's currently playing. His comp is vs Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. When you start talking about an SG who can average 20+ppg on 60 TS% that's the historical territory we're getting into. Harden does it, but as a FT drawing machine and not a floor-spacing sharpshooter.

Interesting query: guards who have posted a season over 60 TS% by their age 24 season (Brad is 23yo) sorted by ppg

http://bkref.com/tiny/2PbzR

Yikes! -- bite your tongue!

Brad hasn't posted that season over .60 TS% yet -- don't want to jinx him!

Btw, I don't remember that discussion comparing Beal & Thompson, w/ you pointing out the importance of the 3 year age difference. Could you link to it please?

[Illmatic12]

I remember people on this board comparing their shooting splits and saying Brad would "never" be on Klay's level, and I said that people are discounting the 3yr age difference. Sure enough, as he enters his prime Beal is surpassing Thompson offensively

Beal's comp isn't vs any SG who's currently playing. His comp is vs Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. When you start talking about an SG who can average 20+ppg on 60 TS% that's the historical territory we're getting into. Harden does it, but as a FT drawing machine and not a floor-spacing sharpshooter.

Interesting query: guards who have posted a season over 60 TS% by their age 24 season (Brad is 23yo) sorted by ppg

http://bkref.com/tiny/2PbzR

Yikes! -- bite your tongue!

Brad hasn't posted that season over .60 TS% yet -- don't want to jinx him!

Btw, I don't remember that discussion comparing Beal & Thompson, w/ you pointing out the importance of the 3 year age difference. Could you link to it please?

True.. still ~20 games left and they won't all be easy.

and pif it's something I've been talking about on this board for years now. It's probably come up a lot in various threads , here's part of one discussion:

viewtopic.php?p=45418427#p45418427

And part of another:

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1380253#start_here

viewtopic.php?p=42475287#p42475287



I had always seen Beal's talent level as being criminally undervalued in discussions and was adamant about that, particularly for how young he was when drafted.. now in fairness to people who had differing opinions, it definitely took a leap of faith to believe he'd get over the injuries and suddenly become a brand new player (and as of today we technically still don't have 100% proof that he can get through a full NBA season *fingers crossed*) . I think to some degree we collectively underestimated the terrible combination of injuries, bad coaching/management, questionable locker room environments, and just general inexperience that was holding all of our young players (John, Brad and Otto) back the last few years. Fortunately things seem to have taken a turn for the better now, in spite of all that.

[closg00]

[closg00]

[AFM]

In his defense, he has a practically impossible job.

[payitforward]

I remember people on this board comparing their shooting splits and saying Brad would "never" be on Klay's level, and I said that people are discounting the 3yr age difference. Sure enough, as he enters his prime Beal is surpassing Thompson offensively

Beal's comp isn't vs any SG who's currently playing. His comp is vs Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. When you start talking about an SG who can average 20+ppg on 60 TS% that's the historical territory we're getting into. Harden does it, but as a FT drawing machine and not a floor-spacing sharpshooter.

Interesting query: guards who have posted a season over 60 TS% by their age 24 season (Brad is 23yo) sorted by ppg

http://bkref.com/tiny/2PbzR

Yikes! -- bite your tongue!

Brad hasn't posted that season over .60 TS% yet -- don't want to jinx him!

Btw, I don't remember that discussion comparing Beal & Thompson, w/ you pointing out the importance of the 3 year age difference. Could you link to it please?

True.. still ~20 games left and they won't all be easy.

and pif it's something I've been talking about on this board for years now. It's probably come up a lot in various threads , here's part of one discussion:

viewtopic.php?p=45418427#p45418427

And part of another:

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1380253#start_here

viewtopic.php?p=42475287#p42475287



I had always seen Beal's talent level as being criminally undervalued in discussions and was adamant about that, particularly for how young he was when drafted.. now in fairness to people who had differing opinions, it definitely took a leap of faith to believe he'd get over the injuries and suddenly become a brand new player (and as of today we technically still don't have 100% proof that he can get through a full NBA season *fingers crossed*) . I think to some degree we collectively underestimated the terrible combination of injuries, bad coaching/management, questionable locker room environments, and just general inexperience that was holding all of our young players (John, Brad and Otto) back the last few years. Fortunately things seem to have taken a turn for the better now, in spite of all that.

Thanks - yup, you are recollecting your position accurately! People don't always do that....

[daSwami]

Beal's blogging now, and it's great: http://bradleybeal.net/2017/03/07/a-new-day-in-dc/

A few excerpts:

On Brooks:

"Everything changed this year with the arrival of our coach, Scott Brooks. Ever since he got here, the culture has been different. Everything he does is about our team, our family. Win, lose, or draw, it’s always a collective effort. I know that sounds like something everyone says their team believes in, but it’s one thing to say it, and it’s another thing to live it.

With Coach Brooks, it’s never been about one player dominating the game, or winning us a game. There’s no favoritism for any of us. We’re all being held to a high standard, and knowing that has actually given all of us confidence. Coach trusts us all with the same responsibility, from the top down, and it’s spread throughout the players, too. The team atmosphere is great. It’s a family, brother-like atmosphere.

Coach also changed our approach to the game in terms of our team’s work ethic. Guys have been working hard on their games, competing about everything. Sometimes, we fight to see who’s going to get to the gym first. (Except the rookies—they have to be in there before anybody.) We’re constantly challenging each other, and that makes us all continue to get better, and want to improve.

On top of all that, things have been fun. We enjoy each other’s company. We enjoy our camaraderie, and again, Coach has been responsible for a lot of that, too."

On Wall:

"it’s my fifth year in the league, and I feel like a more mature player. You get older, and the game slows down for you. It’s kind of like it’s a natural feel. I know I can always get better, but on top of that, I know I have all the tools that I need to compete at a high level, and compete with the best players in the league.

Maturing has had a big impact on how John Wall and I play together, too. We’ve both grown—in our mental approach to the game, our intellectual approach to the game, and how we relate to each other. We both understand that the team won’t be successful unless we’re on the same page, and that’s where we are now. With time, we’ve gotten better and better, and as a backcourt, we feel like we’re second to none. We know where each other’s spots are on the floor. I know where he’s going to be in the flow of the offense. He knows where I’m going to be. Everything just naturally flows, and on top of it, we’re both having career years. "

[dangermouse]

Will there be a time when we can say "Brad Beal is the best player on the Wizards" ?

John Wall is definitely the best now, and is around the age when most players reach their peak. Both have made improvements this year, clearly the game is 'slowing down' for the pair. But Brad is younger. In those catch-up years could we see Beal eclipse Wall's talent, or is the gap between them insurmountable?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Bradley Beal might be hitting a new plateau. He has been on a tear ever since the All-Star roster was named and he was left off. In the last 12 games, he has averaged:

25.8 points
3.8 boards
3.2 assists
1.2 steals
2.4 turnovers
.565 FG%
.440 3P%
.680 TS%

That's legit, Ray Allen level of production. His D has been much better lately as well.

A game back he had a beautiful dribble drive that resulted in him throwing down a nasty two-hand dunk. Beal is really killing it this season.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

If we count Harden as a 2 then Beal would be 3rd in the league at worst. I think a case could be made that he is better than Klay. Beal is 3rd in RPM marginally behind Klay.

http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/RPM/position/2

I would say he is definitely better than Derozen, who is a weak defender and doesn't have much off the ball game.

Unless the rankings are coming up differently for you, RPM has beal ranked 2nd there to Harden

Beal is better then klay per 36 across the board save for an extra rebound a game and slightly lower TOs then Beal.. which makes sense since Beal can actually initiate offense. Klay for all his awesome shooting isn't the playmaker Beal has become.

Beal also bests him in WS48, Ortg/Drtg differential, PER and VORP. Klay is a bettr 3 pt shooter and probably a better defender but Klay also has the benefit of not having to expend that much energy as Beal does on offense.

Save for Harden I can't think of a better 2 guard. Unless you ascribe the WP48 in which case you have this absolute hilarity:
http://www.boxscoregeeks.com/players?direction=desc&minimum=true&positions%5B%5D=SG&sort=per48_wins_produced

Thabo, GRIII, Seth Curry, and Tony Allen better then Beal... LMAO.

I think DeRozan would be better on a bad team because he's a legit 1st option scorer, albeit at lower efficiency. Beal is better for a good team because he can score in a way that doesn't detract from his teammates, and he can provide spacing to help his teammates score easier. Beal is also a better defender than DeRozan.

Since the goal is to play on good teams and actually win titles, I think Beal is the best SG in the league right now (excluding Harden).

[Dark Faze]

damn man

this dude is putting up some NUMBERS now...

nearly 50% FG. I would have bet a lot that he never hit that number

[deneem4]

Beal is now playing off wall...versus playing with wall...

He knows to get to his spots when the defense is tough on Wall vs getting close enough to get the ball for a quick pass..that's trust...he understands now...Wall can pass....
Let him work...