Washington Wizards: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

2. Bradley Beal has to be Washington’s second ball-handler

Bradley Beal was the Washington Wizards’ best scoring option all season. He led the team in scoring after all, pouring in 22.6 points per game along with 4.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals. That’s all well and good, but Beal could also be used as Washington’s second ball-handler, given the issues with depth in the backcourt.

Beal showed he’s more than capable of distributing the ball and Washington has the scorers to put the ball in the hole. He averaged a season-high 6.7 assists per game through 12 contests in the month of February. That number dipped in March and April, but being more deliberate could change all of that.

In victories this season, Beal averaged 5.2 assists per game. In losses, he averaged 3.9 assists per game. It may seem small but there’s a huge difference in that number when factoring things like rotations and injuries.

Head coach Scott Brooks played Beal and Wall a lot together, which was both a gift and a curse. Washington was better defensively, but the fourth quarter was their biggest weakness because they played too many minutes. If Brooks wants to play Satoransky on the wing, put the ball in Beal’s hands and let Wall take a breather. Then there’s also the fact that the roster needs some work.