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Washington Wizards coach upbeat about John Wall, Bradley Beal

By Phil Watson

Nov 23, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) celebrates with Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal (3) against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 98-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) celebrates with Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal (3) against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 98-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards coach Randy Wittman looks at the bright side for his two young backcourt stars—John Wall and Bradley Beal—spending part of the summer with USA Basketball, even if neither player made the final 12-man squad that won the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup.

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Wittman reminded both players that Hall of Famer Charles Barkley didn’t make the cut when he first tried out for Team USA in 1984 and that he was cut by Wittman’s college coach, Bobby Knight.

Instead, Wittman looked at the positives of his young backcourt tandem spending some quality time with the NBA’s best.

"“They worked all the way up through July,” Wittman told NBA.com “Putting the work in is the main thing a coach wants to see in the summer. They were able to do that.“I told those guys, ‘Not everybody makes it right from the start. But you’re there, you’ve done it, you’re showing them you’re willing to be there. It’s a process.’”"

Wittman says he believes both Beal and Wall will be representing the U.S. in international competition at some point in the future.

Wall, an All-Star for the first time in 2014, was also not appreciative of being ranked No. 31 on Sports Illustrated’s list of the top 100 players in the NBA.

Wall was gracious about SI’s attempt to apologize, though:

Wall averaged 19.3 points, 8.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 36.3 minutes per game, shooting .433/.351/.805, playing in all 82 games. Beal appeared in 73 games and averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a steal in 34.7 minutes, putting up a shooting line of .419/.402/.788.

The Wizards were 44-38 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008, knocking off the favored Chicago Bulls in the first round before going down in six games to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

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