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Bradley Beal talks about the dip in offense around the NBA

By Andrew Gillis

Beal talks about dip in offense around the league originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

At the outset of Wednesday’s game against the Raptors, everyone knew the conclusion. They just couldn’t figure out the reasoning. 

Scoring is down in the NBA this season, as is Offensive Rating, 3-point shooting, turnover rate, and, most notably, free throw attempts. 

After the Wizards’ 109-100 loss to the Raptors at Capital One Arena, Bradley Beal offered up a few potential reasons as to why. 

“I haven’t talked to many other guys but I definitely see,” Beal said. “Gives me a little peace that I ain’t the only one out here struggling. The whole league is struggling. It’s an adjustment. I think I’ve seen somebody blame the ball the other day…So it’s a lot of adjustments across the league for everybody. There’s really not one thing you could pinpoint, honestly. It could just be the way the chips are falling this year. I don’t know.”

Beal, who scored 31.3 points and averaged 7.7 free throw attempts per game last year, has come out of the gates a bit slower. He’s averaging 24.4 points per game and 4.5 free throw attempts per game. 

That could be chalked up to the added depth on the Wizards’ roster, which has led to more evenly balanced scoring up and down the Wizards’ lineup. But it’s not been just Beal who has seen his offense dip. 

Entering Wednesday night, league field goal percentage had dropped by 1.9% and 3-point shooting by 2.5%. There have been comments about the referees’ increased focus on the way they enforce fouls — or lack thereof — and the new basketball (the league switched from Spalding to Wilson as the official ball). Beal was even asked about how the crowds could play into it.

“Honestly, that definitely is a little different,” Beal said of full arenas. “I would say from a standpoint of our benching and spacing and depth perception, we didn’t use to have fans under the basket necessarily. Now we have them back under the basket. We had more spacing on our sidelines, we don’t have that anymore. It’s the little, subtle stuff. Definitely having fans and engaging is definitely different too. Granted we had it in the playoffs, but not full capacity.”

Beal was never someone who deliberately chased fouls, but he still ranked near the top of the league in free throw attempts mostly due to how much he handled the ball in the Wizards’ offense a year ago. 

Perhaps the numbers, as they tend to do, will slowly inflate over the course of the season as players get used to new teammates, systems and the new basketball. Or, the dip in offensive production could be here to stay. 

If that’s the case, there are a few pros and cons to consider, too.

“That’s what’s mind-boggling to me,” Beal said. “My free throw attempts went down, but I’m not necessarily a guy who hunts fouls or tries to draw fouls… but that’s tough to grasp in some ways. At the same time, I actually like it. We foul the hell out of some guys and they don’t call it, so I can’t be mad at it. At the same time, a lot of scorers around the league, that’s how you get a rhythm sometimes — just seeing the ball go in. But, I mean, that’s the rules. I’m not mad at them.”

Wizards lose third straight as James Harden records 17 assists for 76ers

By Chase Hughes
Wizards lose third straight as Harden records 17 assists originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonWASHINGTON -- The Washington Wizards lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 118-111 on Halloween at Capital One Arena. Here are five takeaways from what went down...Three in a rowThe Wizards were 3-1 through their first four games this season, but a lot can change in a short period of time as it only took four days for them to lose three consecutive games, leaving them at 3-4. After losing to the Pacers at home and the Celtics on the road, they returned home for a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Sixers.Philly played without superstar Joel Embiid, who sat with a non-COVID illness. But James Harden (23 points, 17 assists) and Tyrese Maxey (28 points) were plenty enough for them to get the win. The Sixers created separation with a +13 margin in the third quarter and were able to hold the Wizards off after that.The Wizards fell to 3-4 on the season and it won't get any easier moving forward. They see the Sixers again on Wednesday, then the Nets and Grizzlies after that.No Embiid changed some thingsWithout Embiid, the Sixers went micro with P.J. Tucker starting at center. He's 6-foot-5, which means he had a 10-inch height disadvantage battling the 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis in the post. Porzingis was able to capitalize with a strong offensive game of 32 points (10-16 FG) to go along with nine rebounds, but Tucker held his own in other areas, as he usually does. He did a nice job of creating openings for Sixers' guards off screens and broke free for a few baskets of his own, scoring 13 points.Former Wizards fan favorite Montrezl Harrell also made a big difference in the second half, partly leading to Taj Gibson replacing Daniel Gafford in the second unit. Where the Wizards probably wish they took advantage more is in the paint. The Sixers outdid the Wizards in paint points, 56-50. Deni to the benchBefore the game, when asked the customary question of whether he would use the same starters, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. responded with a vague "maybe." It wasn't clear at the time if that actually meant a change was coming, as he could have just been practicing gamesmanship. But sure enough, there was a new lineup, as Deni Avdija moved to the bench after starting the first six games. He was replaced by Anthony Gill.Avdija only played 11 minutes in the Wizards' loss to the Celtics on Sunday night, as Unseld Jr. went away from him after a poor defensive start, albeit due to some very difficult assignments. Avdija played 17 minutes in this one and played better. He had a rough beginning, but rallied to get some stops against Harden and was able to show a little bit more of his passing ability with a handful of assists. That's the thing about Avdija coming off the bench. While he balances out the starting lineup well, he should have more of an opportunity to spread his wings offensively in the second unit.Slow start for BealAfter going scoreless in the first half of Sunday's loss for the first time since 2018, Bradley Beal managed only four points in the first half against Philadelphia. He was better in the third quarter, with eight points in the frame, and ended up with 20 points for the night on 7-for-18 shooting with four turnovers. With 12 points against Boston, that means he combined to score 32 points in two games. It wasn't long ago that was a single-game number for Beal.Beal, though, has had a heck of a time against two tough defenses on back-to-back nights. Against Philly, he saw a lot of contact, yet only got to the line four times. He's in a bit of a rut right now and the referees seem intent on not lending any help. It will be interesting to see if the Wizards do anything differently next game to try to shake his slump.Still waiting on KispertCorey Kispert sat out once again due to his sprained left ankle, despite last week practicing for the Wizards and being described by Unseld Jr. as "really close." According to the Wizards' coach, Kispert continues to make progress practicing with the Capital City Go-Go. He's just not quite ready yet.Wednesday will mark four weeks since Kispert's injury was first revealed and the original timeline was 4-6 weeks. So, given that, it probably shouldn't be a surprise he hasn't played yet, even though it seemed like his return was imminent late last week. The Wizards play their next game on Wednesday and that will technically be within the original window the team gave as a projection. Maybe he plays against Philly. If not, the Wizards' next game is Friday vs. the Nets.
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