It’s funny now to remember that, less than a year ago, John Wall and Bradley Beal weren’t enough. As a star tandem, they were thought to be malfunctioning — too inconsistent, too many injuries, too much bickering — and most believed the Washington Wizards needed to add another marquee player to be taken seriously.

After failing to land that big-name difference-maker in free agency last summer, the future seemed uncertain. The Wizards appeared to be stuck as a middle-tier NBA team, a low-end playoff contender but not much more, only good enough for you to wish they were better. But there was one problem with banishing them to mediocrity: Wall and Beal weren’t done growing. They were being treated like veterans at the end of their primes, not a 26-year-old point guard and 23-year-old shooting guard. In the background of a seemingly lost summer, Wall, already a perennial all-star, was preparing to take the final step toward superstar status. And Beal, the recipient of a $128 million maximum contract last July, was finally ready to live up to his potential.

Now, after Wall and Beal led the Wizards to their best regular season in 38 years, they’re two victories from advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the third time in four years. But the vibe is different this time. They aren’t underdogs showing flashes of becoming an elite backcourt. They have arrived. It took them five years to get here, but if you think that’s a long time, it speaks more to impatience than anything Wall and Beal did wrong. And the players are better for taking a methodical route to greatness.

“Everybody’s road is different, and the lessons we’ve learned along the way make us that much hungrier, that much more dangerous now,” Wall said last week as the playoffs began. “I don’t look at it as it took a long time, or it took just the right amount of time. It’s just basketball and life and growing up and getting better. I’m happy with where we are now, and we’re still in the early stages.”

[There’s a history behind John Wall’s withering glare at Dennis Schroder]

At the end of Game 2 on Wednesday night, you saw a dramatic example of how far Wall and Beal have come. They scored 20 of the Wizards’ final 21 points, completing a 109-101 victory with flair. Both players had struggles earlier in the game, but they didn’t lose confidence and stayed aggressive. All season, they have punished defenses with their diverse skills, but it’s their feel for when to take over and how naturally they play off each other that’s most impressive.

In 2012, the Wizards drafted Beal No. 3 overall to pair with Wall. On paper, it was the perfect combination. Wall is the pass-first point guard who drives to the basket constantly and uses his speed to make an impact on both ends of the floor. Beal is the smooth, sweet-shooting scorer with good athleticism and the potential to be a good defender. You couldn’t invent players who complement each other better.

But it took a while for Wall and Beal to maximize this partnership. Why did it come together this season? Health was a major factor. Wall had double knee surgery last May and eliminated some nagging issues. Beal figured out how to overcome recovering problems related to his trouble right leg. Wall played 78 games and Beal played 77this season. It was the most they’ve been on the court together since the 2013-14 season, when Wall played all 82 games and Beal played 73. That year, they went to the playoffs together for the first time. And this year, they played their best basketball to date. Sometimes, progress can be as simple as availability.

Of course, it’s deeper than that. Last August, when Wall and Beal shed light on the difficulties in their relationship during an interview with CSN’s Chris Miller, the concern was that they were feuding like Shaq and Kobe or headed toward a complicated partnership like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. In reality, the beef had ended. They were simply clearing the air and acknowledging, as Wall said, that they have “a tendency to dislike each other on the court.” They were being open so that they could eliminate the problem.

Nothing solves an issue like personal accountability. Wall, a four-time all-star, had his best season, averaging 23.1 points, 10.7 assists and two steals, at the same time that Beal enjoyed his finest year. Beal hadn’t averaged more than 17.4 points in any of his first four seasons. This season, he averaged a career-high 23.1 points, shot a career-high 48.2 percent and carried the team along with his point guard.

[The Wizards are making the most of the Hawks’ Dwight Howard-less lineups]

Add their improvement to Coach Scott Brooks’s system, and there’s now a tendency to flow together on the court. Beal’s progression is the biggest key to all of this. The problem wasn’t that the two players didn’t get along; it was that they didn’t always understand each other. And Wall, who is still bothered by how hard he had to fight for respect in the NBA despite being a former No. 1 overall pick, was miffed when Beal was anointed a co-star prematurely.

But time has taught Wall how difficult it is to be the solo all-star and carry expectations to be competitive. He was always willing to share the spotlight, but Beal needed to be more than just a 17-point scorer who played in 75 percent of the games. It’s safe to say Beal is better than that now. He’s one of the most improved players in the NBA, and there’s little reason to believe he won’t continue to get better.

“I definitely see my playmaking, and my pick and roll has gotten a lot better,” Beal said. “I’m shooting the ball off the dribble a lot better. All my percentages have gone up. Just in terms of that, everything that I can work on — which is everything in my game, because nothing’s perfect — I’m just happy that I’m able to put it all together with a healthy season, and just continue to work hard, continue to get better.”

You once considered the Wizards desperate for a third star because you figured Wall had peaked, and you feared that Beal might never be more than pretty good. But they had other ideas. And when the Wizards lost out in free agency, Wall and Beal gained clarity that they had to be better.

It’s a challenge they wanted, a challenge that has elevated them to heights you imagined they would reach all those years — and all that impatience — ago.

For more by Jerry Brewer, visit washingtonpost.com/brewer.