The Cavs spent the entire regular season bickering before they put it together in the playoffs. To be honest, I’m a little conflicted myself, so I’m going to try to present both sides: Now that we’re through that part of things, let’s dig into whether or not this is a big deal. Guys, let’s get you both on the same page, into an All-Star Game, and to a Conference Finals before we start saying we’re better than Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, okay? Things like this make Wall and Beal’s repeated claims that they’re the best backcourt in the NBA continue to look silly.Bradley Beal’s 34 point, 7 assist, 6 rebound game against the Hawks in the 2015 playoffs came when John Wall was nursing his hand injury. The game where John Wall scored a career-high 47 points? Bradley Beal was injured. What makes things even more complicated is that they’ve had successful moments without each other. Other than the 2013-14 season, when they played 73 games together, there’s been at least 20 games per season where Wall and Beal have not played together. Injuries have certainly played a role in Wall and Beal’s awkward dynamic.They’re just two talented, but stubborn, young players who haven’t quite figured out how to play with each other. There’s a big difference between disagreeing with someone about how they should play together and flat out hating someone. You can argue just how much that means in the grand scheme of things, but the reporting, eye test, and the numbers all seem to agree they didn’t maximize each other’s talent last year. Furthermore, Wall posted better Net Ratings with guys like Garrett Temple and Kelly Oubre than he did with Beal. Beal was one of only two Wizards who shot worst when he was on the floor with Wall than when he was off the floor. Wall and Beal’s on court chemistry issues shouldn’t come as a big surprise.First, let’s talk about some things we should be able to agree on: Now that you’ve read through his report, you may have some thoughts on what this means for the Wizards’ short and long-term future. If you haven’t read his report, you should do that. Michael’s report about the state of John Wall and Bradley Beal’s relationship.
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