The Underappreciation of Bradley Beal (12/16/20)

Let me start off with the difference between underrated and underappreciated. Underrated means someone is really good, but no one recognizes it, and that player needs to be more recognized. Underappreciated is when someone is recognized, but that’s it. They’re not actually appreciated for what they do, even though everyone acknowledges it.

Since I’m writing about Bradley Beal, let me elaborate. Bradley Beal isn’t underrated. Most acknowledge him as a top five shooting guard. Top five is perfect for Beal, because he isn’t top three (Harden, George, and Klay when healthy are better than Beal). So that means he is rated perfectly. But he isn’t actually given enough credit for being that good (meaning he’s underappreciated).

For one, somehow Beal didn’t make the 2020 All-Star game. My mind is blown by that. The Eastern Conference guards that got the nod over Beal were Kemba Walker, Trae Young, Ben Simmons, Kyle Lowry, and Jimmy Butler. Beal deserved a spot over some of most of those guys (Butler definently deserved his spot, and Trae Young is safe too).

Bradley Beal vs. Kemba Walker

It’s easier to justify Kemba not making an All-Star game than the rest of these guys, so I’m starting with him. Here’s a head-to-head comparison on all major categories for Beal and Walker.

Finishing: Beal

Mid-Range: Kemba (Pull-up midrangers are Kemba’s specialty)

Threes: Beal

Defense: Kemba (Neither are great)

Rebounding: Beal

Passing: Beal

Beal wins 4-2. Team success doesn’t matter too much for the All-Star game, because if it did, Trae Young would be getting the boot for Beal. If it did, Kemba would get the nod in that category. Beal was the number one option on a team that had a top offense early in the season. Kemba was the third best player (Jaylen Brown was more consistent this year) on a good team. Everything leads to Beal being better than Kemba (and more deserving of a spot in the ASG), so why didn’t Beal make it? Fan ignorance. Kemba was an All-Star starter because of all the votes he got from fans (Kemba seems like a great guy, so makes sense that he’s liked by fans). So it’s unfair to take Kemba’s spot away from him. So who’s not getting a spot?

Bradley Beal vs. Kyle Lowry

Once again, keep in mind that I don’t care about team success when it comes to the All-Star game.

Bradley Beal is a better basketball player than Kyle Lowry. Here’s the head-to-head:

Finishing: Beal

Mid-range: Beal

Threes: Beal

Defense: Lowry

Rebounding: Lowry

Passing: Lowry

So it’s a tie, 3-3. My tiebreaker is team value, which goes to Beal (Raptors fans are now angry). Lowry is obviously a good basketball player, but if he disappeared, the Raptors would be better off than the Wizards would be without Beal. The Raptors have Fred VanVleet to slide in at PG. The Wizards have Jerome Robinson (yikes). So Beal deserved the All-Star nod (I don’t dislike Lowry at all. I promise. But somebody had to get the boot for Beal).

So say Beal was an All-Star. That would make him fairly appreciated. I’d make the argument that he should have made an All-NBA team, but he didn’t deserve it. Team success matters for All-NBA teams, and the Wizards sucked (and all the guards that did make the teams deserved it).

So, I hope you now understand the underappreciation that Bradley Beal faces. If you don’t, think about how people think Devin Booker is better than Bradley Beal (Booker will surpass Beal in the long run, but he isn’t there yet. Trust me. I know Devin Booker’s really good). And, I bet there’s some crazy Celtics fan that thinks Jaylen Brown is better than Bradley Beal (Again, maybe in the long run). Those people shouldn’t be allowed to be basketball fans. Same goes for the idiots who choose who makes the All-Star game.