We Need to Free Bradley Beal
Poor Brad is stuck with one of the most depressing rosters in basketball.
No, like seriously – this roster is depressing.
An aging Russ Westbrook is not going to cut it.
Wizards Starting 5
The starting lineup is a mix of players at different stages in their career.
Russ: Aging and ineffective point guard. With the slight loss in athleticism, his small frame has made his defending worse.
He cannot score a the basket the way he previously could, and also cannot shoot.
Can’t score and can’t defend? At least he is able to make…some passes?
Bradley Beal is in his prime and is a stud. Not a great defender, though.
Alex Len is a backup big. He is not particularly good at anything, but is decent at some things. Yet, he is starting, great!
Bryant will return from injury soon but has not been the stopper that would be needed on the defensive end. Young bigs can take a while to develop on that end.
Deni Avdija and Rui Hachimura are both promising youngsters, but are probably a few years away from contributing.
Deni could be a star, as he has a great feel for the game, but we are years away from that.
Rui seems like a rotation wing, but has not panned out the way Washington had hoped.
Neither, at this point in their careers, is that capable on the defensive end.
From there, the backups could all be complimentary pieces on the right team, but here they struggle.
Wizards Bench
Ish Smith is a 3rd guard and spark plug type.
He can score, but no defending to be had. If you think you see a trend here, you are correct!
Neto, Brown, Bertans (great shooter, though!), Robin Lopes (old!) come on as the next line of (lack of) defense.
Finally, players such as Garrison Matthews, Isaac Bonga, Jerome Robinson, and Moritz Wagner come on in.
Guess what – while some of these may be decent pieces. No defense.
Not surprisingly, the Zards have the worst defense in the NBA! Without an interior presence, they have the worst defense at the cup in the NBA!
The 10th best scoring offense in the NBA, lead by flailing Russ and All World Beal can only win so many games!
How good is Beal?
Beal leads the NBA in scoring, which is a great place to start.
he ahs been one of the best scorers in the league, and retains his efficiency as the volume increases.
Bradley shoots nearly 50% from the field while he does much of the heavy lifting. He also remains an excellent marksman from 3 and can finish effectively at the time.
Finishing at the rim is where Brad has improved this season, and is the big reason his scoring average has soared to a career high 33 ppg this season.
While his attempts from 3 are down this season, his overall shot attempts and free throws re up this season. Getting to the line more is great for a career 80+% shooter, of course.
His trips to the line are also a product of his blossomed interior game. He is truly a world class, 3 level scorer among the best in the NBA. Any given night he can erupt for 50.
Brad needs to go to a team like Boston, who can pair everything he does well with the defensive support he needs and WINS.
Here is to hoping for Bradley Beal!