Beal outlines what Wizards need to build a contender originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
With just about three weeks left in the Wizards' season, and their playoff hopes dwindling by the game, the offseason is getting near. After Monday's loss to the Rockets, Bradley Beal gave his detailed thoughts on what he believes the Wizards need to add this summer in order to be in a much better spot one year from now.
This offseason for the Wizards, of course, will be defined largely by what happens with Beal, as he can opt out of the final year of his contract. Beal painted a picture that would include him being back, just with a different set of weapons around him.
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Beal first said that, generally, the Wizards need more than one star to contend for a title.
"I'll be damned if anybody says they can win a championship by themselves or win any game by themselves as an All-Star. That will never happen and I don't think it's ever happened in the history of the league. So, I think having another guy, 100 percent that is a must-have, it's a must-need," he said.
Kristaps Porzingis may play into that equation to a certain extent. Porzingis, a former All-Star, was acquired at the trade deadline after it was determined Beal would miss the rest of the season with his left wrist injury. And Beal had been advocating the front office to get a player who can do what Porzingis does best.
Beal called the trade "exciting" because he sees Porzingis as a "dominant big" and a three-level scorer. He views Porzingis as able to take pressure off of him scoring the ball and someone who complements his own skillset well.
As for more specific needs to address this offseason, Beal began with the backcourt.
"I think we need bigger guards. We need more guys that can get in the paint for us, more ball-handlers, more guys that can really create and get two feet in the paint, but also who can knock down threes," he said.
Beal believes guards who can shoot will help the Wizards make teams pay for helping on him when he comes off pin-downs and catches the ball on the perimeter. He says far too often, opposing players get away with doubling him.
Beal, not surprisingly, believes 3-point shooting is a need up and down the roster. The Wizards are 30th, dead-last, in the NBA in threes made per game (10.5).
"Finding shooters, we definitely need shooting. You see we were [6-for-29 from three] tonight. Our shooting has been horrendous all year. I think that's an area that we definitely need to key in on," he said.
And finally, Beal highlighted wing defense, which was an area they thought they addressed last offseason, only to see their defense rank 25th in efficiency this season. They have generally been good at preventing threes, but still struggle against top scorers at the wing position.
"Just some dog wings, some 3-and-D guys who can get after it and accept those challenges come playoff time when we play the Jayson Tatums, all the elite primetime wings," Beal said.
The Wizards clearly have another big offseason ahead of them, given how disappointing their record has turned out to be this year, now at 30-41 following their loss to the Rockets, which marked seven of their last eight. Perhaps they will keep Beal's thoughts in mind as they try to plug holes on the team.
