Bradley Beal adds something to his repertoire every offseason. It’s a staple of the 27-year-old’s game, his ability to stave off stagnation this far into his career by targeting a new skill to master every summer. They have included anything from tightening his footwork to hesitation moves to spins to small maneuvers that help him get to the free throw line more often.
This offseason, Beal’s résumé is getting an upgrade as well. The Washington Wizards’ franchise player was named to an all-NBA team for the first time Tuesday, when the league announced its top 15 players as voted by members of the media. He is the first Wizards player to be all-NBA since John Wall in 2017.
“I am humbled and honored to be named to the All-NBA Third Team,” Beal said in a statement. “I would not be able to achieve this honor without my coaching staff, teammates and our great fans who gave me unbelievable support during an unprecedented season. I am excited to get back to work this summer and building on what we were able to accomplish.”
The 2020-21 All-NBA Third Team:
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 16, 2021
🏀 Bradley Beal
🏀 Jimmy Butler
🏀 Paul George
🏀 Rudy Gobert
🏀 Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/s4aEK3ivcs
Kyrie Irving, Rudy Gobert, Jimmy Butler and Paul George joined Beal on the third team. He received seven points in second-team votes, 50 in third-team votes and 71 overall points, the fifth most among guards. Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook received the most overall points of any guard who did not make an all-NBA team and received one vote for the first team.
The Washington Post does not allow its writers to vote on postseason awards.
For Beal, an all-NBA selection is yet another marker in a milestone season. He was named an all-star starter for the first time in the middle of a season in which his name often was attached to trade rumors — not because the Wizards were making him available but because seemingly every other team expressed interest in acquiring him in the offseason.
Beal’s scoring backed up the hype. Fitting snugly next to Westbrook as the point guard played his first year with Washington, Beal led the Eastern Conference in scoring for the second consecutive season, averaging a career-high 31.3 points (second in the league to Golden State’s Stephen Curry at 32).
Beal missed 12 games for a mix of rest, injury and the league’s coronavirus protocols. But when he was on the court, he operated with the dependability and elegance of a luxury watch. His 48.5 percent shooting also was a career high. He finished with a career-high 34 games with at least 30 points (which ranked third in the league) and had eight games with at least 40 points (which ranked second). He began the season by scoring at least 25 points in 17 consecutive games, the longest streak in the NBA in the past 50 years.
Despite the overwhelming numbers, Beal only being a third-team selection is not surprising. Wading through all-NBA ballots was a muddy endeavor this season, with voters having to select two guards, two forwards and a center on each squad as usual and the league choosing to list many players in multiple categories.
Guard was a logjam. Beal was fighting for one of six spots in a group that featured pure guards such as Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard and Curry — and, depending on how the voter decided to classify a player, hybrid stars such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum.
Unlike in previous years, being all-NBA does not make Beal eligible for a Designated Veteran Player Extension, commonly known as a supermax deal, in part because he is not entering the fourth or fifth year of his contract. But he is still eligible for a massive payday, up to 35 percent of the Wizards’ salary cap.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was the only player to receive unanimous votes for the first team, which also included league MVP Nikola Jokic, Curry, Doncic and Leonard. The second team was Lillard, Paul, James, Joel Embiid and Julius Randle.
