The NBA season is only one week away. This is the penultimate section of the rankings, looking at the players just outside the vaunted top 10. The previous sections can be found at the following links:
The fourth set of the top 50 rankings is here, with the back half of the top 20 players in the league. Who made the cut?
Let’s get started.
Top 50 NBA players: 20. Bradley Beal
Previous Rank: 16
The slide from last season is not about anything Bradley Beal did wrong. In fact, he had a fantastic season as an individual. He made a return to the All-Star game and was named to an All-NBA team. Until the final days of the regular season he was leading the league in scoring, ultimately finishing second with 31.3 points per game. He added in 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game More important, there was a return to the postseason.
The slide is just about the other players who made it further in the playoffs. Beal is looking to make a repeat appearance in the postseason with a completely retooled roster. He is also weighing the option of agreeing to a max extension to keep him with the Washington Wizards for the foreseeable future. With so much change and potential uncertainty, chances are his overall production takes a slight step back.
Beal can make all of this easier on everyone by signing the extension and taking the nerves away from Tommy Sheppard. The additions of rookie Corey Kispert and potential All-Star Spencer Dinwiddie show that they are ready to try to win now. This is a welcome change in DC.