Beal continued his steady improvement in a big way during the 2016-17 campaign, crossing the 20 points per game threshold. While not an All-Star, he played like one, posting 23.1 points, 3.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals across 34.9 minutes per game. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard also shot 48.2 percent from the field and made 2.9 threes per contest at a 40.4 percent clip. He’s managed to improve his effective field-goal percentage each year he’s been in the league as well, though it will seemingly be hard to top his efficiency from last season – that obviously shouldn’t be considered a knock, however, on his Fantasy value. There are no shortages of big games when deploying Beal in Fantasy, either, as he recorded 13 games with 30-plus points and 20 games with five-plus assists. While he only recorded one double-double on the year, those are rare from the shooting guard slot. Overall, at just 24-years-old, Beal has still yet to enter his prime, making for a promising Fantasy pickup. He has top-5 shooting guard upside in Fantasy and potential to land in the top-25 of all Fantasy players during the 2017-18 campaign.
With a career average of 16.0 points per game and an excellent 39.7 percent conversion rate from three-point land, Beal has firmly established himself as the unquestioned second banana in Washington behind three-time All-Star John Wall. Unfortunately, injuries have dogged him in all four seasons of his career, with the former No. 3 overall pick missing no fewer than nine games in each campaign. The Wizards evidently feel Beal’s immense talents outweigh his lack of reliability on the health front, as they re-signed the shooting guard to a five-year, $127 million contract in July. The pressure is now on the 23-year-old to prove he can stay on the court and improve his rapport with Wall, which could be a lot to ask considering the Wizards acknowledged the possibility of monitoring Beal’s playing time closely over the rest of his career in order for him to avoid developing another stress fracture to his right leg. It’s believed that any restrictions wouldn’t prevent Beal from logging 30-to-35 minutes per game, so that shouldn’t influence his outlook in a significant way heading into 2016-17 after he was able to average a career-high 17.4 points on a career-best 44.9 percent shooting from the field in 31.1 minutes per game a year earlier. That said, Beal’s durability concerns make him a riskier selection than most of the players who will be drafted near him in fantasy leagues, so owners will have to decide for themselves if the juice is worth the squeeze.
The only thing that separates Beal from reaching the top echelon of NBA shooting guards is his inability to stay healthy. In 2014-15, the fourth-year guard was limited to 63 games because of wrist, leg, and ankle injuries. He has not played in more than 73 games in any of his three seasons. It may be that the 6-5 guard is still growing into his body and will better learn his limits as he gets older. Hopefully, he can stay healthy in the new season to show off that beautiful three-point stroke. For the second consecutive season, Beal hit better than 40 percent of his three-pointers for 1.7 three-pointers per game. He averaged 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 33 minutes. His conversion rates were 43 percent on field goals and 78 percent on free throws. Beal bumped up his production in the playoffs with 23.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists as the Wizards advanced to the conference semifinals before losing to Atlanta in six games. With John Wall, Beal forms one of the best young backcourts in the league, and he could join his teammate at the All-Star Game if he can stay healthy.
After celebrating his 21st birthday during the offseason, Bradley Beal is entering his third year in the NBA. He started 119 of the 129 regular-season games he played during his first two seasons and is locked in as the Wizards' shooting guard of both the present and future. Known for his shooting above all else, the former Florida Gator has made 40 percent of his three-point attempts through his first two seasons but hasn't been nearly as effective inside the arc. In 73 games last season, he averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.2 blocks in 35 minutes per game. He shot a modest 42 percent from the field, despite connecting on 40 percent of his three-point field goals, of which he made 1.9 per game. He also attempted 2.6 free throws per game, converting at a 79-percent clip. Beal posted similar per-36 production in 11 playoff games but saw his averages jump across board, as he logged an impressive 42 minutes per contest. The Wizards' second unit often ran through Beal during the playoffs, and we can expect more of the same during the upcoming season. Already an established shooter and underrated defender, Beal is still young enough that there's hope he can make strides when it comes to ball-handling and creating his own shot. If that happens, he'll likely threaten the 20-ppg threshold, and could be one of the breakout stars of the 2014-15 season.
With John Wall sidelined until January with a knee injury last season, Beal was immediately vaulted into a starting role and endured the sort of struggles one might expect from a 19-year-old rookie. Though he averaged a respectable 12.1 points and 2.5 assists per game through the first two months of the season, Beal shot a wretched 35 percent from the field and 27 percent from three. It wasn't until the return of Wall that Beal truly thrived, as he rose his scoring to 15.5 points per game after December while showing dramatically improved efficiency (46 percent from the field, 48 percent from three). Beal's ascension was ultimately halted by a litany of injuries, with a stress injury in his right fibula ending his season in April after just 56 games. Beal was cleared for full contact in August and appears to be fully healthy for training camp, giving the Wizards a potent one-two punch in the backcourt for years to come with Wall agreeing to a five-year extension in the offseason. With a healthy Beal no longer tasked with creating his own offense, as he was forced to early last season, he should be able to minimize his turnovers and build on the progress he showed after Wall returned last season. A solid rebounder for his size, Beal has the potential to provide elite production once he reaches his peak.
The Wizards drafted Beal, a University of Florida product, with the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, hoping that his game would coalesce with backcourt mate John Wall, who has been saddled with selfish gunners like Nick Young and Jordan Crawford as his running mates through his first two seasons. Beal is praised for his impressive range from deep and high basketball IQ, and should provide an immediate upgrade at shooting guard. Despite being a bit undersized for an NBA two-guard, the 6-foot-3 Beal managed to pull down 6.7 boards a game and block nearly a shot per game for the Gators last season. Rebounding might not come that easy for Beal in the NBA, but he’ll still provide value elsewhere, as evidenced by his 1.4 steals per game. For what it’s worth, Beal netted 17.0 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game in five summer league contests, although an ugly 1.8:2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio can’t be tolerated once the regular season begins. Beal might not set the world on fire coming out the gate, but his gifts as a shooter, and his underrated athleticism, should allow him to emerge as a viable fantasy contributor at some point during his rookie season.
