Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Raptors

1. Bradley Beal is still slumping

Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal is one player who could use a boost. So far through two games, Beal is averaging 14.0 points, 3.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He’s shooting 39.3 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from 3-point range.

There’s no question the Wizards have looked out of sync without their best scorer on offense. Against a team like the Raptors, however, Beal’s approach may need to change. Granted, he only took 11 shots on Tuesday night, but Beal’s help is needed more on the defensive end.

The Raptors are shooting 44.6 percent from the 3-point arc as a team already two games in. C.J. Miles is 8-for-13, Serge Ibaka is 4-for-7 percent and Delon Wright is 4-for-8 from behind the arc. The pressure on defense must change as nothing the Wizards have done has bothered Toronto enough to do anything different.

That’s where Bradley Beal comes in. His plus/minus through two contests is -44. He turned in a plus/minus score of -34 on Tuesday night after going 3-for-11 from the field, 2-of-5 from 3-point land and finishing with nine points, making his night historically bad:

The Washington Wizards are a much better team when they’re on the same page defensively. Right now, everybody is trying to do their own thing and it’s shown in these past six quarters or so of basketball.

At one point, the Wizards were running sets, sharing the ball and defending, but that was during Game 1 when they actually held a lead. Since then, it seems the wheels just keep falling off and Beal is the latest player to feel the brunt of it.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

Game 3 should have an interesting feel to it. Look for Bradley Beal to come out firing on all cylinders on offense but with an added edge on defense. Washington could use it, after all.