Beal says Wizards 'easily' have most SG depth in his career originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — As Bradley Beal strolled to the locker room to get his back checked out by the training staff, Will Barton went to work.
The 11-year veteran carved up the inexperienced Pistons for 13 points in the second quarter alone. He made five shots in the quarter, including three from long range. And he even gave Detroit some razzle-dazzle with a no-look pass off a spin move to Rui Hachimura for a highlight reel dunk.
Beal is the Wizards’ best player, yet when he went out the Wizards were… okay. The same wouldn’t have been said in most of the previous 10 years Beal has spent with the Wizards franchise. Finding depth behind him at shooting guard has long been a quixotic task.
The Wizards have tried many different players for the role, usually veterans like Jodie Meeks and Marcus Thornton. Perhaps the most infamous whiff was trading for Austin Rivers. Rivers has had a fine career as a backup shooting guard, but here he only lasted a few months.
Now the Wizards have Barton, plus combo guard Delon Wright plus Corey Kispert, who is currently out with an ankle injury. This summer, they drafted shooting guard Johnny Davis with the 10th overall pick. Even Deni Avdija can play there in some lineups, according to Wes Unseld Jr.
The Wizards have options to take pressure off of Beal like they haven’t had before.
“Yeah, for sure. Easily. Easily,” Beal said when asked if this is the most shooting guard depth the Wizards have had since he was drafted.
That could have several advantages. On Tuesday, it came in handy when Beal went out with a minor injury (he later returned). It should be convenient on nights Beal doesn’t have a scoring rhythm. And it could also lead to him playing fewer minutes, which over time will be good for preserving his energy and health. That might be a good idea, given the Wizards just signed Beal to a five-year supermax contract this past offseason.
Barton, for the record, didn’t even know Beal was hurt when he lit the blowtorch in the second quarter Tuesday night. He said afterward he was trying to avenge what he felt was an unacceptable performance in the team’s previous game when they lost to the Cavaliers in overtime on Sunday.
“My whole mindset from the beginning of the game was to be aggressive because I felt like in Cleveland, myself and the second unit, we were the reason we lost that game,” Barton said.
Barton is embracing his new role with the Wizards as a backup and leader of the second unit. He started all of the 71 games he played last season for the Denver Nuggets, but was assigned to the bench by Washington, who traded for him in the summer.
Unseld Jr. explained to Barton why he thinks the second unit is the best fit for him and Barton accepted the challenge.
“I told him if that’s what he sees, let’s do it,” Barton said.
Tuesday night was an example of the impact he can have in that spot. He had a season-high 16 points with four assists. He feasted on the Pistons’ backups and helped the Wizards build a double-digit lead early in the second half. Washington ended up winning by 21.
Unseld Jr. is very familiar with Barton’s game, having coached him in Denver as an assistant. He made the decision to put Deni Avdija in the starting lineup because of his defense, but also because he feels Barton can be uniquely good as a 6th man scorer.
“It gives us a lot of comfort. You never want to be without Brad for a long stretch, but he’s a guy that we can play through. He can create his own offense, he is pretty good in the open floor, he can play pick-and-rolls. There’s a comfort level having another facilitator who can play-make and ball-handle on the floor, who can create offense,” Unseld Jr. said.
Shooting guard depth made the difference for the Wizards on Tuesday and they still don’t have Kispert back. He thrived in that role by the end of last season as a rookie. And they still don’t have Davis up to speed to the point where he can join the rotation.
Beal already believes it’s the best group of shooting guards he’s played with in D.C. and it could get even better over time.
