Rebuilding doesn’t frighten away Beal
Aware of Wizards’ situation, guard signs 2-year extension
WASHINGTON — Bradley Beal had seen enough.
Thomas Bryant, the Washington Wizards’ 22-year-old starting center and one of the few players on the active roster with size and strength, wasn’t rebounding or playing the kind of defense expected of him during practice. So the leader of these Wizards raged.
Beal tore into Bryant, getting in his face and hurling obscenities that could be heard across the practice facility. Teammates stepped between Beal and Bryant. Veteran Isaiah Thomas reminded the group that reporters were watching.
This confrontation occurred at a weekday practice and, in reality, it was a normal scene that plays out during a long NBA season: one ticked-off teammate challenging another. The only difference: The real games were still weeks away and here was Beal, already fuming at a young center on a team with low expectations entering the 2019-20 season.
Nine days later, Beal agreed to a two-year, $72 million contract extension with the Wizards. He signed up for more frustration. But why?
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On Wednesday night, Beal, 26, will begin his eighth season in Washington. It could become his first All-NBA campaign as he will have plenty of opportunity to stand out without fellow All-Star John Wall, who missed much of last year and could miss most or all of this season because of an Achilles tendon injury.
Instead, Beal will be the cornerstone of a rebuilding project.
“I know it won’t be easy,” he said recently. When the Wizards open the 2019-20 season against the Dallas Mavericks, Beal will potentially be surrounded by six players in the rotation who are 22 or younger. Bryant, second-year pro Troy Brown Jr. and rookie Rui Hachimura are considered hardworking youngsters the team will eventually build a core around, but their development wanes in comparison to Beal, the first guard left off last year’s All-NBA honor roll despite being the first player in franchise history to average at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a season.
There are rough days ahead, but by committing to the upcoming rebuild, Beal, whose current deal now totals four years and $130 million, has bought into the vision the Wizards have pitched.
“They kind of projected the future and kind of gave me a layout of what we can do in the future and it looked promising for me,
Season opener to put me in a position to have a little bit of control in that as well,” Beal said. “I was honored by that.”
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Convincing Beal took time.
It began in April when he met with Tommy Sheppard in exit meetings. Sheppard then still held the interim general manager title after replacing longtime president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld. The full-time job wasn’t promised to Sheppard, but he listened to Beal’s concerns with the intention of solving every one of them like an executive ready to woo his franchise star.
Without a second star such as Wall, Beal was the main focus of opposing defenses. He needed more offensive sets and packages to get better looks.
“I want players who want to get better and challenge me to get better, and he’s one,” coach Scott Brooks said of Beal. “Three years ago, he couldn’t do what he’s doing now. He’s really developed.”
As Beal has improved, Brooks has been able to be more flexible in his offensive schemes.
“I can put him in any situation, and he understands it at a high level,” Brooks said. “I can use him as a decoy, and he understands why I’m using him as a decoy. I can use him in pick-and-rolls and pin downs and in the post.”
Throughout the summer, Beal and his agent Mark Bartelstein spoke “daily,” Bartelstein recalled, about the consequences of re-upping with the Wizards: The losses — there will be a lot of them — and the exasperation that comes with rising to new personal heights while young teammates are teetering in their development.
Ultimately, Beal wanted to be at the head of a table. He saw the steps the Wizards were taking and wanted to lead the way.
“He wants to choose his own path and not necessarily jump on someone else’s bandwagon but be the reason Washington becomes a destination for anyone wanting to play for the Wizards,” Bartelstein said. “He’s a different cat. He doesn’t really concern [himself ] with what other people are doing and choices other guys are making.”
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Beal must have a trigger when it comes to practice. During an Oct. 2 session while players scrimmaged four-on-four, Bryant tried shooting a jumper over a smaller defender instead of posting him up and Beal again took offense.
“You’re 6-9! He’s 6-2!” Beal barked, reminding Bryant of the height difference. As he turned away, Beal punctuated his annoyance with an expletive.
However, during Sunday’s practice, while Beal played with Hachimura, Smith and second-year forward Isaac Bonga, he pumped his guys with confidence by sharing the ball and taking only about three shots the whole scrimmage.
“He has to be able to get on guys,” Brooks said. “That’s part of the progression as you get into the league and you develop as a player and a team.
“But you can’t do it every day. Like [on Sunday], he was all encouraging.”
Last Thursday, after Beal put pen to paper on his contract extension, he was steady while standing in front of reporters. He calmly explained why he chose to stick around. He used the loaded word “legacy” and fashioned himself as someone who loves winning but can wait as well.
He’s ready for the rebuild. After all, Beal signed up for this.