Brooks sees Bradley Beal competing for MVP awards soon originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Bradley Beal was an All-Star starter and leads the NBA in scoring this season, but Wizards head coach Scott Brooks sees him reaching another level soon.
Brooks said over the weekend he believes Beal will be competing for the NBA's top individual award in the next few years.
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"He’s one of the best players in the league. In the next year or two, he’s going to be an MVP-type player," Brooks said.
Beal, 27, may win the scoring title and make All-NBA this season if he continues on his current course with averages of 30.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. But it is unlikely he will take home the MVP award given how many deserving candidates there are on teams with better records than the Wizards.
The NBA's MVP award race is still fairly wide open, but guys like Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets, James Harden of the Nets and Joel Embiid of the Sixers are considered among the favorites. Beal's name is rarely mentioned, likely all due to the Wizards' 19-33 record.
In order for Beal to become a legitimate MVP candidate, it may come down to the Wizards just winning more games in the coming years. If he was leading the league in scoring while playing for the third-best team in the East rather than the 13th-best, it may be a different story.
Whether that is fair or not, it's the way it often goes in the NBA where team records are factored into individual awards. The same generally goes for other sports, though you do see exceptions like the famous case of Alex Rodriguez winning the 2003 American League MVP award while playing for the last-place Texas Rangers.
As Brooks notes, Beal is still an improving player, even though he's already made three All-Star teams. That should probably be kept in mind in any debate the next time his name shows up in trade rumors.
For now, Beal is just trying to get back on the floor as the Wizards pursue a playoff spot with only 20 games remaining in their 2020-21 season. And speaking of Beal's future, Brooks said the team does not believe the nerve issue he's recently dealt with in his hip will be a long-term concern.
"He wants to play. The guy loves to play. We’re never going to put him out there if things are really going to injure him," Brooks said.
"[The trainers] tell me stuff like that comes and goes. Sometimes you’re going to have good moments and good weeks. Sometimes you come back in a day or two. You have to deal with it, then eventually it dissipates and it goes away."
Beal is also currently dealing with back tightness, which was the reason cited for him missing Saturday's loss against the Suns. He is considered probable for Monday's matchup with the Jazz.
