Washington Wizards Mailbag: John Wall and Bradley Beal Are Not the Problem
Washington Wizards are struggling to win games, but John Wall and Bradley Beal don’t deserve much, if any, of the blame for the team’s failures.
Sometimes, life happens and I forget the day of the week.
Admittedly, I forgot Monday was Monday. Then, Tuesday happened and I realized that I skipped Mailbag Monday, which is perhaps my favorite thing to write.
But I wasn’t going to neglect the Mailbag.
Am I a day late? Sure. The questions are going to be answered, though, and that’s all that matters.
As always, thanks for participating.
@WizOfAwes Why?
— Wooooo (@itislivin) December 13, 2016
Because life occurs in an unexpected manner – sometimes good and other times bad.
All we can do is try to leave this place better than we found it. Instead of worrying about ourselves, we should focus on spreading joy and happiness. Ultimately, that’s what life’s all about.
I don’t know why life is what it is, but that doesn’t matter. Life is a thing and it’s not a choice, for the most part.
Hug your significant other (and/or your pet).
@WizOfAwes You think Beal has proven his maxness?
— Wizards Are Great (@Deez_Wiz) December 13, 2016
Bradley Beal is getting close to proving his maxness, averaging 22 points on 45 percent shooting from the field and over 40 percent from three. He’s putting up career-high numbers all across the board and isn’t even close to reaching his prime.
He’s slowly becoming more comfortable with the ball in his hands.
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Beal is scoring off the dribble, but he’s also emphasized 3-point shooting, which will always be his bread and butter.
Beal is doing everything right, but he’s not elite yet.
For him to reach his full potential (and live up to his max contract), he’ll need to become a better defender.
Washington’s backcourt has been disappointing defensively, John Wall included. Scoring 30 points is meaningless when you give up over 30.
It’s time for Beal to realize how effective he can become defensively.
He’s long, quick and jumps out of the gym.
Beal just needs the desire to play defense for 48 minutes – not just when he wants to play it.
@WizOfAwes is it safe to say the wiz won't have a chance at being contenders/starting over to until Beal and/or wall departs?
— Ben MacUghDoo (@NetflixNChi11) December 13, 2016
As I previously said, John Wall and Bradley Beal have struggled defensively this season. Both players are on max deals and have All-Star level talent. They set the standard for the rest of the team. If they aren’t playing defense, then the rest of the team will have no reason to buckle down defensively.
They aren’t perfect. With that said, neither player deserves blame for the Washington Wizards‘ troubles.
It’s not their fault the front office failed to execute an off-season plan and signed guys who’ve yet to contribute anything valuable. It’s not Wall nor Beal’s fault that Jason Smith and Andrew Nicholson are on multi-year deals.
Washington cannot contend for a championship without the backcourt together. They cannot tank and start over unless they part ways with both. They’re kind of in the middle right now – not bad enough to get a top pick but not good enough to win games.
Being in the middle is the worst place to be, but the duo isn’t the problem.
If they had better teammates – ones that could help on the court – this question wouldn’t have been raised.
