It seems like the existence of the Washington Wizards over the last six or seven years has been predicated upon and has revolved around one simple notion; this is John Wall’s team. The explosive, yet uniquely pass first point guard has been averaging double digit assists for the past three seasons, and was on track to do so again before he injured his knee in late November. Wall is certainly the team’s pacemaker, with him constantly pushing the ball in transition, and flying into lanes at breakneck speeds himself — however, is he truly the teams best player? A quiet murmur is slowly and progressively getting louder in NBA circles and it begs the question; is Beal the future of the Washington Wizards? Should Beal rip the mantle of face of the franchise from Wall? Or is there a middle ground? My answer: Well, kind of.

The Wizards are in something of a salary quagmire, one that many teams across the league find themselves in; they are 25$ million over the cap and probably wont sniff the Conference Finals. Admittedly Otto Porter has been great for the Wizards this season, however his albatross of a 4-year / 106$ Million contract has not. Porter has played well for the Wizards, supplementing Wall and Beal with 13.9 points per game to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals on 56.7 / 43.2 / 82.8 shooting splits, however his utility would be so much more valuable if they had been able to retain him at just a smidge lower. But the Wizards had no choice; the Nets essentially screwed the Wizards’ cap for the next 3-4 years when they threw the entire farm at Porter via contract sheets.

Capped out and nowhere to go, the Wizards have to look internally for further development. Luckily, Scott Brooks has an impressive track record as a developmental coach, and Oubre has shown exuberant athleticism to pair with a nice 3-and-D skillset, and Satoransky’s consistent and stabilizing playmaking is promising. But Washington’s true X-Factor is undoubtedly Bradley Beal — at this point, he is the key to unlocking the Wizards’ ceiling. Beal’s counting stats are only marginally better across the board from last season, with a slight dip in efficiency, however, these do not tell the full story. Beal’s playmaking has grown exponentially since last year, and I’d imagine this can be attributed to Beal playing a large amount of his minutes this year without Wall due to Wall’s recurring injuries. Take for instance this play here:

Beal’s beginning to finally be able to utilize his electrifying shooting in a manner that is conducive to making plays for his teammates. One of Scott Brook’s favorite plays is a pick and roll with Beal as the ball handler, followed by a drive-and-kick, out to a shooter, often Oubre. Oubre is shooting a clean 16-32, good for 50%, on drive-and-kick threes from Beal. Defenders have no choice but to play Beal well above the three point line, making them easily susceptible to a hard screen by often Gortat or Mahinmi. The threat of Beal’s shooting combined with his ability to beat his defender to the rim causes a chain reaction that puts the defense in a position where they must pick their poison. If they don’t help on Beal, he can easily convert for two points; however, this leaves Mahinmi wide open for a roll to the basket, requiring a rotation of Oubre’s man into the paint, leaving Oubre a mile wide open for the three.

But on the flip side, Wall’s playmaking is integral to the Wizard’s success, and it shows in the stats too. In the time Wall was out with injury this year, Otto Porter’s FG% has dropped almost 9% percent, from 48.7% to 40.1%, and meanwhile Oubre’s FG percentages have done much of the same (from 44.9% down to 35.93%!). So is it truly fathomable that Beal is the real MVP of the Wizards, just as John Wall says? Well, it’s possible, but not in the usual way that John Wall, or the typical fan thinks of the meaning of the word MVP.

The only way I can think to describe it is that Wall and Beal need each other. They match each other perfectly; Beal is the ideal spot up shooter for Wall to dish out to, and has now developed a complimentary skillset which has securely nestled him as a reliable secondary ball handler for the Wizards. Wall is the engine whereas Beal is the spearhead. Wall raises the floor of the Wizards, whilst Beal raises their ceiling. The only issue is, as I stated in the very beginning of this article, in their current state the Wizards are not going to be anywhere near the Eastern Conference Finals, much less any further than that. Their roster is locked in as it is, and unless Otto Porter has a hidden Jesus Gear that we don’t know about, they spent their remaining cash, and with it their remaining hope to escape basketball purgatory, on a guy who isn’t exactly destroying worlds for them right now.

But here’s the thing, and the reason why I’m staunchly planting my flag on Beal Hill: Bradley Beal still has gargantuan potential — I’m talking, one of the best scorers in the game potential. Beal’s potential growth is (hopefully) the solution to balance out the difficulty that is the Wizards equation. Beal is still only 24, and he can score from virtually anywhere on the floor. The mid-range, three point shots, turn around jumpers — you name it, Beal’s got it in his arsenal. This season he has also really started to aggressively drive to the hole, finally taking advantage of how tightly defenders guard him. Beal’s hesitation move is made that much more deadly by the fact that he truly can pull up from anywhere and the floor and make it, especially against slow, lumbering big men:

Beal has the potential to average 28 points a game — his scoring prowess cannot be overstated potential wise. His game is reminiscent of a young Ray Allen, with perhaps a little less shooting deftness but a little more proficient at creating inside the three point line. It’s not like Beal is capped out at what he is — most players don’t make that next jump from a good player to a great player until their late twenties. Westbrook was always a good 20 point per game scorer, but his breakout season as a true superstar when he was 26. Before, Beal was simply a great spot up shooter — constantly being run around off screens for the open three point shoot, or hanging around the three point line as Wall drived to the hole. This locked him into the Klay Thompson type role: he was good for a little over 20 points per game, however he needs someone to create for him. For Thompson it’s been the three other All Stars that surround him, and for Beal it has been Washington’s floor general Wall.

However, now Beal is beginning to show serious improvements in creating for himself and others. This is the next step for Beal, and that is what will vault him into Super Stardom. Bradley Beal is the X-Factor for the Wizards, and how his skillset progresses will decide the future for the Wizards. This abstract idea, this notion of Bradley Beal’s potential, that is the Wizard’s escape hatch.