Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener

1. Wall and Beal pick up where they left off in 2016-17

John Wall and Bradley Beal were their usual selves in the Washington Wizards’ first victory of the season. The duo combined for 53 points in the backcourt, although they went just 1-of-7 from behind the 3-point arc in the game.

Wall was able to dish out eight assists, but his athleticism against guards T.J. McConnell and Markelle Fultz was on full display with a number of athletic tomahawk dunks. He didn’t have the strongest shooting night (10-for-28, 35.7 percent), but he showed why he’s a top point guard in the East.

Beal was 6-of-17 from the field (35.3 percent) but was able to get to the free throw line 16 times in the game. He went 12-of-16 from the free throw line, showcasing his new found ability to get to the foul line.

He got to the free throw line an average of 4.4 times in 2016-17, seeing a huge jump in his numbers in the first game of the season. If he can get to the charity stripe more often and get the opposing team in foul trouble, it could spell doom for opposing backcourts, especially in the East.

Wall and Beal led the way for the Wizards as their bench proved to be their newest strength in 2017-18. They outscored Philadelphia’s bench while getting solid numbers from backups Mike Scott and Jodie Meeks.

Next: 2017-18 Week 1 NBA Power Rankings

Scott finished the game with seven points and two rebounds. Meeks finished with 14 points and a rebound.