The Washington Wizards have been the worst team this season. While Bradley Beal has been doing his best, averaging a league-high 33.2 points per game, it still hasn’t been enough for them to get wins.
He hasn’t found any team success yet, but individually, he is receiving some recognition. He led the Eastern Conference guards in the first ballot of voting, a year after missing out on the previous edition.
Earlier today, Beal reacted to this during a post-game interview. He said, “That’s a huge honor to be able to gain that recognition from fans around the world. That means the world to me. Obviously, I’d rather have more wins under my column. But I’m also kinda confused, too. I think we both know why. It’s like, what was so different from this year and last year? To each his own.”
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Bradley Beal on leading Eastern Conference guards in All-Star voting: “That’s a huge honor to be able to gain that recognition from fans around the world…But I’m also kinda confused, too. I think we both know why. It’s like, what was so different from this year and last year?” pic.twitter.com/sKDsCnUOQf
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 7, 2021
Looking back at last year’s All-Star snub for Bradley Beal
When Beal was snubbed last year, he was averaging 28.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists at that point. Those are All-NBA team numbers, but supposedly not good enough for an All-Star berth.
Beal was also second in scoring in the East among guards, just behind Hawks’ Trae Young. The Wizards were a losing team at that point, but so were Young’s Hawks. But he still made the cut.
While fans weren’t able to recognize Beal’s efforts, his colleagues did. He finished ninth among Eastern Conference guards in fan voting, but he finished second among Eastern Conference guards when the NBA players voted.
That may have made him feel slightly better, but the snub was still embarrassing. Not for Beal, but for the fans who ignored him.
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Beal needs to convert his personal success into team success
There is no doubt about Beal’s ability as a scorer. He is one of the best in the league in that aspect. But when it comes to winning games for the team, Beal is yet to do that. The Wizards are currently bottom of the East and will stay there if they cannot play winning basketball.
One of the main reasons behind their lack of success is the Wizards’ players not stepping up and supporting Beal. But his lack of defense is also hampering them. They need to improve on both of these fronts to be able to get out of their slump and ascend in the standings.
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