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NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason needs for the Washington Wizards

By Dennis Clausen

May 2, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) reacts during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) reacts during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wizards
Apr 28, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) celebrates in the closing minutes of their game against the Atlanta Hawks in game six of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Bradley Beal needs to mature

It would be safe to say that Washington’s most prized commodity after John Wall is the young up-and-coming Bradley Beal.

After signing a max contract last summer in the neighborhood of five-years and $130 million, Beal has a history of not showing up when he is needed the most. See the Wizards season-ending series with Boston — Beal had three games that saw him score less than 16 points. During those games, he shot less than 37 percent from the field and did not shoot more than 25 percent from downtown. See the regular season, where he scored less than 20 points in 32 games.

It is time for Beal to stop worrying about trash-talking off the court and mentally check in for the full grind that is the NBA season.

Instead of declaring that he and John Wall are “the best backcourt in the league,” which I’m sure Steph and Klay would disagree with, he should worry about how Bradley Beal can become the best shooting guard in the league.

A critical need for the Wizards this off-season is for Bradley Beal to mature and transform into a consistent performer. He needs to live up to the hype that he had before signing that huge contract. He needs to show up in each and every game next season. He needs to be injury free, something that he has had issues with in the past. He needs to stop making ridiculous statements.

Next: 30 worst NBA playoff teams of all time

Nobody cares that Bradley Beal thinks that Cleveland didn’t want to meet them in the second round of this year’s playoffs. Surely, the fans of the Washington Wizards don’t. What they do care about is that their team isn’t playing right now.