Last year, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he thought Bradley Beal, who had been left off the 2020 All-Star team, was overlooked because he plays in a smaller basketball market. Tatum, who grew up in St. Louis with Beal, said the 27-year-old Washington Wizards star deserves more attention: “He is a killer.”
But if Beal was toiling in anonymity before, the secret is finally out this season.
When the NBA on Thursday announced its first batch of fan votes for next month’s All-Star Game, Beal was leading all Eastern Conference guards with 1,273,817 — more than 200,000 more than the next pair of perennial All-Stars, Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
Fans only account for 50% of the vote — the other half is split between media and players — but it’s a promising sign that Beal, who’s been named to the all-star team twice but never as a starter, is getting the recognition he deserves.
The fan totals came a day after Beal passed Michael Jordan for the most 25-plus point games to start the season since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77. Beal, who finished with 32 in Washington’s win over Miami, has scored at least 25 points in 17 straight games to start the year — the fifth-longest streak in NBA history.
Beal not only is setting records, but he leads the league in scoring at 34.8 points per game. He’s four points ahead of the second-leading scorer in Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant. If Beal finishes the season at No. 1, he would be the first Wizard to do so in league history.
Beal’s ascendance hasn’t happened overnight. The former third overall pick has improved his scoring average in three straight seasons, developing an all-around game that has made him a lethal threat to opposing defenses.
Beal is on pace to break Walt Bellamy’s franchise record of 31.6 for most points per game over a season.
The Wizards aren’t generally considered a marquee NBA franchise like the Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers. But the organization has had some talented scorers over the years — Bellamy, Earl Monroe, Bernard King, Gilbert Arenas and even a past-his-prime Michael Jordan were all capable of going off on any given night.
Now Beal is poised to add his name to that honor roll — at the top, at this pace.
“What he’s doing offensively, you don’t see it often,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “You don’t see it. Obviously, James Harden had it the last few years, but what Brad is doing, he’s doing it without the ball in his hands throughout the game. … He can score in so many different ways. That’s why it’s hard to guard him.”
Brooks rattled off the variety in Beal’s offensive game: He can score in transition, in the pick-and-roll, from beyond the arc, on pin downs and by piling up points at the free-throw line. Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce once said that it was Beal’s feet that made him so dangerous, highlighting the footwork that allows Beal to get anywhere on the court.
Beal’s basketball intelligence helps, too. In Wednesday’s win, he quickly adjusted to the double- and triple-teams that the Heat attempted to deploy. He stayed patient and still took a game-high 23 shots.
These days, there’s little that fazes Beal as he’s gotten used to the attention that defenses throw his way.
“I usually know what’s going on pretty early,” Beal said.
Beal said it was “pretty cool” to pass Jordan, adding he was glad the achievement came during a win. At 5-13, the Wizards are no longer the worst team in the NBA, climbing past the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Of course, Beal’s future with the franchise has perhaps contributed to the guard’s mainstream recognition.
If Beal were to become available in a trade, he’d be highly pursued by a number of teams. And whenever the Wizards get blown out, and the camera cuts to a devastated Beal on the bench, social media users tweet phrases like “#FreeBeal.” Rumors then start to swirl.
Despite Washington’s situation, Beal has made no demands to be traded, nor has the team solicited offers, as far as the public knows.
Brooks often notes that though the Wizards aren’t winning enough currently, Beal remains a “winning” player.
After Wednesday’s victory, the coach pointed to Beal’s work ethic, the way his superstar goes about crafting his game.
Then, like so many of Beal’s staunchest supporters, he talked about an area of Beal’s game that he feels goes unnoticed.
“His toughness,” Brooks said. “He never gets credit for the toughness.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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