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Bradley Beal not concerned with lack of early All-Star votes

By Chase Hughes

Beal not concerned with lack of early All-Star votes originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

One season after he started the All-Star Game for the first time in his career and received the seventh-most fan votes among all NBA players, Bradley Beal had a poor showing in the first round of fan voting for the 2022 All-Star Game, which was released this week. He did not appear among the top-10 guards in the Eastern Conference and was absent among the 40 total players listed between both conferences.

Though by this measure Beal was one of the most popular players in the league a year ago, his current situation is a familiar one. Beal was ninth among Eastern Conference guards for the 2019-20 season and wasn’t selected as a reserve.

At this point, Beal isn’t surprised.

“Yeah, I’ve seen it. You know me, it’s the same every year or every other year. I control what I can control, I don’t control the fan voting or anyone that votes for that matter,” he said on Friday night.

Last year may prove to be the aberration. For one season, Beal was a huge favorite in All-Star voting. As for why things have reverted back this season, perhaps it doesn’t help his numbers are down after a slow start.

While Beal is surging lately, averaging 28.0 points on 51.2% shooting and 7.1 assists over his last 12 games, his stat-line remains dragged down by how he played in the beginning of the year. He is averaging 24.1 points, his lowest since 2017-18, while shooting 29.3% from three, the lowest clip of his career.

Another reason could be the departure of Russell Westbrook, who brought more national attention to the team. But the Wizards have a markedly better record at this point (19-20) than they did last year (14-25), which should help Beal’s cause.

If Beal continues to play like he has lately, he should increase his chances of becoming an All-Star, whether that is as a starter through fan voting (which accounts for half of all votes) or as one of the reserves, which are voted on by NBA head coaches. Beal has made the All-Star team three times in his career, twice as a reserve.

Surely, Beal would like to be an All-Star again, but he’s not overly concerned about it and is not going to get into comparing himself to others in the running.

“Guys who get in are always deserving of it. I’m never a hater, I’m never in that lane. Everybody is more than deserving of it. It is what it is, I don’t trip off it. I control what I can control and go hoop,” he said.

Wizards make history with win despite huge 3-point shooting deficit

By Chase Hughes
Wizards make history with huge 3-point margin originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe Wizards made five 3-pointers on Wednesday and their opponent, the Sixers, made 19. If that sounds like a major disadvantage, well, it usually is. All of the previous 27 times an NBA team made five threes or fewer and allowed their opponent to make 19 or more, they lost.Somehow, the Wizards bucked that trend to make NBA history and do something no team had ever done before. Outscoring the Sixers 68-38 in the paint was the biggest reason, as that 30-point edge helped offset the 42-point advantage the Sixers had on the perimeter. The result was a 121-111 road victory for Washington, improving their record to 4-4.Tyrese Maxey of the Sixers had five threes all by himself, tying the Wizards as a team. Tobias Harris added four triples, while his teammates James Harden and Georges Niang had three apiece.For the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma made two threes. The only other ones to get a perimeter shot to fall were Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Will Barton, who each made one.The Wizards were 5-for-21 from three overall, which breaks out to 23.8%. The Sixers were 19-for-36, good for 52.8%. That's a tremendous shooting night, yet they lost.Just shooting as well from three as the Sixers did is generally an airtight path towards victory. In the last three seasons, teams that have made 19 or more threes, shooting 50% or better, were 112-5.In the same span of time, teams that made five threes or fewer, shooting 25% or worse, were 24-71. The Wizards defied gargantuan odds to pull out the victory.It helped that they otherwise played well offensively. The Wizards scored 121 points, shot 57.7% from the field overall, 26-for-32 from the free throw line (81.3%) and committed only seven turnovers.Porzingis had 30 points and Beal had 29, shooting a combined 20-for-30 (66.7%). Whenever their best players perform like that, the Wizards are going to be in good shape.Washington also defended well aside from the 3-point line. They came into the game allowing the fewest paint points (40.6/g) in the league, yet held the Sixers below that number. Washington outrebounded them 43-32 and blocked nine shots.Philly had a monster third quarter with 39 points, but the Wizards locked down in the fourth to hold them to just 21 points. The Sixers didn't score in the final 2:30 and missed their final four attempts.So, the Wizards made it work, even if the 3-point differential wasn't ideal. Prior history, though, would suggest it's not a recipe for success moving forward.Surely, the Wizards will hope for better results at the 3-point line on both ends of the floor. After making only five threes on Wednesday, the Wizards are averaging only 9.6 per game, 28th in the NBA. And on defense, after giving up 19 to the Sixers just three days after allowing 21 to the Celtics, the Wizards are giving up 13.8 threes per game, ranking 24th in the league.Perimeter shooting has become uniquely important in today's NBA. Many games come down to which team wins the 3-point margin.The Wizards essentially invented a new way to win a basketball game on Wednesday night. They may never be able to replicate it, but a win is a win.
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