NBA Rumors: Bradley Beal Disappointed With Wall-less Wizards, Expects Early Playoff Exit, Per ‘NBC Sports’

Gone are the days when the Washington Wizards thought that the team is better without All-Star point guard John Wall. From winning 10 of their first 13 games since Wall’s absence, the Wizards have lost eight of their last 12 games. These include an embarrassing defeat at the hands’ of the lowly New York Knicks, which makes Bradley Beal extremely disappointed.

“I’m tired of talking about this s***. It’s just the same thing over and over,” Beal said, via NBC Sports Washington. “Until we do it individually and together collectively, we’re going to get our asses kicked in the playoffs. This isn’t even remotely acceptable, how we are playing right now.”

The explosive backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal is undeniably the primary reason why the Wizards remain a threat in the Eastern Conference. When Wall suffered an injury, Washington’s weakness was exposed, specifically on the offensive end of the floor when opposing teams focused their defense on Beal. However, the 24-year-old shooting guard believes their current struggle can be blamed on the team’s mindset.

In February, the Wizards established an impressive performance despite not having Wall on their roster. According to Sporting News, Washington posted a net rating of plus-2.3, 69.5 assists percentage, and 54.0 effective field goal percentage. However, those numbers started to go down in March.

With or without John Wall, Bradley Beal believes the Wizards should be gearing up for the playoffs. If things don’t improve, Beal predicts Washington to suffer an early playoff exit. Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky shared the same sentiment as Beal, believing the team is just waiting for Wall to return and “change everything.”

The first round of the 2018 NBA playoffs won’t be easy for the Wizards since they could potentially face the reigning Eastern Conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite losing several players due to injury, LeBron Jame’ Cavs are on a five-game winning streak, showing that they are 100 percent ready to dominate the East once again. Luckily for the Wizards, Wall could return to their lineup when the postseason starts.

Though his timetable for return remains unknown, John Wall has recently participated in five-on-five drills in practice. However, the Wizards shouldn’t be complacent that Wall will immediately make a massive impact upon returning to the court. Coming off from an injury, Wall will need time to bring back his game and mesh well with his teammates. Until Wall fully regains his All-Star form, Beal and other Wizards players should do their part in helping improve their performance on both ends of the floor.