As the off-season comes to an end, we’ll begin to make predictions for the Washington Wizards‘ 2015-2016 season, but I wanted to go on record and proclaim this early: Bradley Beal will have a career year and will make the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

I know that the prediction isn’t outlandish, that but the Washington Wizards need him to do so.

It’s no coincidence that when Beal is 100 percent healthy and engaged that the Wizards are one of the tops squads in the East. As an example, look no further than Beal morphing into the Incredible Hulk on the Toronto Raptors in the 2015 NBA Playoffs and that series ending in a sweep.

The now classic clip of Beal telling Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry “don’t (mess) with me, Kyle!”is an example of the confidence that Beal gained during the postseason. That’s what Beal’s game could look like once he starts being more aggressive, which I think he will do this season.

Being one half of arguably the best backcourt in the East, Beal will have to take the reins as a co-leader on the Wizards.

We all know that franchise point guard John Wall is now the face of the franchise and leader of the crew, but Beal has to think of himself in the same light.

We’ve seen interviews with Beal all summer proclaiming this and I believe him.

Once a player comes into the NBA at a young age such as Beal did being drafted in 2012 at age 19 by the Wizards, people tend to always think of him as a ‘young’ player but in reality, this will be Beal’s fourth year in the league.

Beal’s low-key demeanor also probably plays a part in this, but I believe having a player that had so much confidence in himself to the point of delusion like Paul Pierce did showed Beal that he has to think he’s the best player on the floor at all times.

Spot up shooting has never been a problem for Beal. Beal’s picture perfect jump shot is in the conversation with Stephen Curry, Kyle Korver and Klay Thompson as the best jumpshot in the league.

His issue was creating space for himself off the dribble to find some room to get that sweet jumper off.

A very encouraging clip of Beal working out was just released and it shows him working hard on his ball handling skills and getting separation from the defender off the dribble:

Going into the summer, you got the feeling that the Wizards as a hole were a little disappointed with the season and how it ended. There were a bunch of what ifs hanging over the squad: what if Coach Randy Wittman played the small ball lineup sooner? What if Otto Porter played the way he played in the regular season the same way he played in the playoffs? ‘What if Wall didn’t break some bones in his hand?

But usually the biggest what ifs are saved for Beal and his history of injuries.

Beal started the 2014-2015 NBA season in street clothes after a freak injury during a Washington Wizards preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets. In addition, Beal had to miss some games with an old leg injury that lingered from the previous season.

You could tell that Beal wasn’t himself until later in the year when he started to get back in game shape and play like the experts predicted before the season. Well, I believe this is the year.

Wall will be 100 percent healthy, Otto Porter is predicted to have a breakout season, and Coach Wittman appears to have bought in on the small ball lineup.

With Ted Leonsis and the Monumental Sports group investing in STRIVR virtual technology a ‘Virtual Sports Environment’ type simulator program, Beal and the rest of the Wizards can use it to simulate games –ultimately becoming that much better and will start “seeing” different aspects of the game he hasn’t previously seen.

With all of the pieces now in place for the Wizards, they may not have as much buzz as they had the past few years coming into the season, but this might be the best squad DC has seen in a long time.