Fansided

5 ways John Wall and Bradley Beal can repair their relationship

By Ian Levy

Oct 31, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) talks with Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) against the New York Knicks in the second quarter at Verizon Center. The Knicks won 117-110. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) talks with Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) against the New York Knicks in the second quarter at Verizon Center. The Knicks won 117-110. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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John Wall, Bradley Beal
WASHINGTON, DC- NOVEMBER 24:Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) and Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) during the second half of the game between the Washington Wizards and the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday November 24, 2015. The Indiana Pacers defeated the Washington Wizards 123-106. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/ The Washington Post via Getty Images) /

1. Win more basketball games

The biggest stressor in the relationship between Wall and Beal is not dollars or individual accolades, it’s the losses their team has suffered. In the four years they’ve been teammates, the Wizards have been four games under .500 and twice missed the playoffs. They have also twice made the Eastern Conference Finals but have run into teams with more synergy, more flow, more rhythm, and more talent. Winning is the ultimate salve.

Wall and Beal can share pina-coladas, wear matching bracelets, and laugh when McLovin gets punched in the face, but none of it will matter if their team can’t get better. For all the things they may not have in common when it comes to personality and approach, the need to share the common goal of making the Washington Wizards a force to be reckoned with. That means taking better shots, playing better defense, not letting the way they feel about each other manifest in how they play together.

In the end, they don’t have to like each other to make this work. They have to play better and do better. Winning basketball games is the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.

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