Bradley Beal has averaged 23.3 points in the Wizards’ last three games, one of which he came off the bench and played just 20 minutes. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Bradley Beal packed his belongings into a glossy, royal blue backpack at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday morning as he explained how he has adjusted to the unevenness of his role in recent weeks. Off the bench for 25 minutes one night. Starter and 30 minutes another. Back to reserve and 20 minutes the next.

The inconsistent playing time used to be difficult, Beal admits. But after suffering a stress injury to his right fibula for the fourth time in as many professional seasons, he has grown accustomed to the fluctuations in minutes, designed to protect him, upon returning. The 22-year-old Washington Wizards marksman was previously slow to find his footing and held back from imposing himself out of fear of disrupting the team. He has smoothed the transition this season.

“I just kind of have to do what I got to do when I’m out there and make the best of it,” Beal said. “And not worry about coming out, not worry about not being in a rhythm. Just trying to force my rhythm.”

The philosophy has recently produced an assertiveness the 23-27 Wizards need from him alongside all-star point guard John Wall if they’re going to vault in the Eastern Conference standings and advance to the postseason for the third consecutive season.

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Beal scored 22 points in 32 minutes in Friday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers, his first start since returning Jan. 13 from a 16-game absence. He was moved to the bench the next night in Charlotte to curtail his workload on a back-to-back set and scored 22 points in just 20 minutes in a loss. And on Tuesday, he tallied 26 points in 32 minutes as a starter in Washington’s victory against the New York Knicks, the most he has scored since his return.

“We’re a different team” with Beal, said Wall, who recorded 28 points and 17 assists in Tuesday’s win. “It makes me a better player when he’s out there, and it makes everybody better when he’s able to make shots and put the ball on the floor and put pressure on the defense. Defenses can’t just load up on me all the time. If I need to take a break, I can give him the ball and he can make plays for us.”

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When Beal reported to training camp at Towson University at the end of September, he talked of making the all-star team, of taking the next step in the NBA hierarchy in his fourth season with restricted free agency on the horizon. His top priorities were to stay healthy and become a more efficient scorer, with an emphasis on cutting back on long two-point attempts.

While injuries have continued to hinder Beal — he has missed 21 games and, therefore, was never in consideration for an invitation to Toronto for all-star festivities this weekend — he is posting his most efficient season as a pro.

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Last season, 27.7 percent of Beal’s field goal attempts were between 16 feet and the three-point line, according to basketball-reference.com. The year before, 36.1 percent fell in that range. This season, the rate has sunk to a career-low 18.3 percent of his 436 field goal tries, and he’s shooting 41.7 percent from the area after shooting an anemic 33.1 percent last season.

Instead, Beal is taking more three-pointers and attacking the basket. Of his field goal attempts, a career-high 22.9 percent are within three feet of the basket, which has helped generate a career-high 3.4 free throws per game. He has taken 34.4 percent of his shots from three-point range and is averaging 5.2 three-point tries per game. Both are career bests.

Altogether, he’s shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc and a career-high 46.6 percent from the field and is averaging a career-high 18.7 points per game in 31.7 minutes. The only area where he has been less efficient this season is at the free throw line; he’s shooting 75.8 percent on foul shots after hovering above 78 percent in each of his first three years.

“It’s been a lot better,” Beal said of his efficiency. “But then again I can still be better. There’s a lot of shots I pass up and shots I need to take. Sometimes I just take what the defense gives me rather than the shot I want. Still learning it, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job so far.”

Beal expects to log around 32 minutes per game for the remaining 32 on Washington’s schedule, though he isn’t certain whether the workload will lessen in the second games of back-to-back sets — or in the rare stretch of games on three straight game nights that will immediately follow the all-star break.

“I told the doctor to go on vacation,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. “And let’s hope he does that after the all-star break.”

The objective is a tricky balance between ensuring Beal’s availability while maximizing his output, which Beal has acknowledged likely will complicate the rest of his career. But he thinks he and the team have discovered the formula to keep him on the floor. The Wizards’ postseason hopes depend on it.

“It’s just taking advantage of what I have,” Beal said. “Just utilizing my minutes to the best of my abilities. Not letting the restriction really bother me. Continue to play aggressive. Continue to control what I can control, so to speak. I can control being aggressive. I can control the shots I take and the plays I make. My mind-set’s just been be the same Brad I’ve been all year.”