Bradley Beal shrugged his shoulders. The Wizards star had scored a season-high 47 points Tuesday — his fourth outing in a row with at least 35 — but in the aftermath of Washington’s 151-131 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Beal said he didn’t care about his stats.
“I can have 80 points,” Beal told reporters, “but if we don’t win, I’m going to be (ticked).”
For Beal, that has largely been the crux of the season: The 26-year-old has been among the NBA’s best scorers — only for Washington to be near the bottom of the standings. In the past four games alone, Beal averaged 40.3 points per game on 56% shooting. Through 46 games, Beal has also scored at least 30 points on 18 occasions — the second-best mark of his career.
The stats suggest Beal should be a lock for the All-Star game when the full rosters are announced Thursday. But what once seemed like a near certainty is no longer a guarantee.
The Wizards’ lack of success could cost Beal his third straight All-Star appearance. After not being named a starter last week for next month’s All-Star game, Beal’s chances are left to the league’s coaches, who vote for the reserves.
And if the official ballots are anything like the media’s, then Beal might not make it. In a review of 15 unofficial votes from media members, 10 of them left Beal off their All-Star team. Those “no” votes include prominent names like ESPN’s Zach Lowe, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and TNT’s Charles Barkley.
Not helping Beal’s case is the format of each All-Star team. Seven players are picked as reserves from each conference — three frontcourt players, two backcourt and two “wild cards” (any position).
That makes it tricky for Beal, who is up against other strong guard candidates in Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon. Detroit’s Derrick Rose and Chicago’s Zach LaVine have arguments, as well.
Over the past month, Wizards coach Scott Brooks has been a vocal proponent of Beal’s candidacy. But a coach arguing for his own player is something that can be seen anywhere around the league. Bulls coach Jim Boylen went to bat for LaVine after the guard’s recent 42-point performance. Likewise, Pistons coach Dwane Casey insisted Rose “should be an All-Star.”
Coaches, however, can’t vote for their own players.
Historically, players on teams with losing records have made the All-Star Game. Beal was voted in last year, as was Detroit’s Blake Griffin and Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic. All three teams were under .500 at the time. In 2018, Kemba Walker (then with Charlotte) and Detroit’s Andre Drummond made it under the same circumstances. Even in 2020, Atlanta’s Trae Young was voted a starter — despite Atlanta’s 12-36 record.
But the Wizards have just a .326 winning percentage and in a tight race, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine if that was a deciding factor for players on the bubble.
For example, should Lowry really miss the All-Star game when his team — the defending champions — has the second-best record in the East? The Raptors already have one All-Star in forward Pascal Siakam, but Lowry is averaging nearly 20 points per game with 7.4 assists.
Beal, though, is well respected around the league. Last week, he received the second-most votes from the players, which accounted for 25% of the vote to determine starters. Opposing coaches routinely praise Beal for his growth, particularly the way he evolved without having an injured John Wall next to him.
This year, Beal ranks sixth in scoring with a career-high 28.6 points per game. He has scored at least 40 points on six occasions, trailing only Houston’s James Harden and Young.
“Whatever it looks like, if I got to go out and score, assist, rebound, whatever, I’ve got to go do it,” Beal said. “I’m just being aggressive.”
Soon, Beal will find out if that aggression has translated to another All-Star appearance.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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