How the hiatus affects all 30 NBA teams

Washington Wizards: Preserving Bradley Beal

The Washington Wizards had fallen 5.5 games out of the East’s 8-seed by the time the league suspended its season, so no one was making the mistake of confusing them with a playoff team.

At this point, all that really matters is preserving Bradley Beal, since he’s the best thing this organization has going for it right now by a county mile. Beal, who is averaging a career-high 30.5 points and 6.1 assists per game, was once seen as something of an injury liability.

Since then, however, he’s played 77 games, then 82 games for two straight seasons, in addition to 57 of his team’s 64 games this year. In each of his last three seasons, he’s topped 36 minutes per game. Davis Bertans lighting it up has been fun, and Rui Hachimura should be good in a few years, but Beal is the only tangible, established basketball talent the Wizards can hang their hats on. This hiatus gives him ample time to kick back and relax before having to carry an NBA franchise again.