Bradley Beal: Florida Shooting Guard Prospect Is Worth All the Hype
Bradley Beal is the most important prospect tin this year's draft class. After Anthony Davis is selected, it's Beal's presence that will control what happens with the remaining 59 picks in the 2012 NBA draft.
At this point, it's common knowledge that the Florida Gators shooting guard is highly coveted by multiple teams. The Washington Wizards desperately want him and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been attempting to trade up and move past the Wizards for a shot at the one-and-done guard.
Even the Oklahoma City Thunder and a few other playoff teams have been trying to shoot up the boards and add Beal to their roster.
Beal is a smooth, all-around offensive spark plug, but is he actually worth all of this hype? Is her worth potentially giving up a player like James Harden, even if the bearded shooting guard might not be able to be extended long term down the road?
Just a few months ago, Beal wasn't considered a top-five pick at all and many expected a return to Gainesville for his sophomore season. Now, he's this coveted.
The shooting guard has been compared to Ray Allen quite a few times, even if I believe that Eric Gordon is a much better comparison. Neither player is a mirror image of Beal, though.
Allen has a better outside shot and better ball-handling skills, while Gordon is more of a physical presence than Beal. That said, neither is a bad comparison.
Of course, with all of these lofty comparisons floating around through the interwebs and spewing forth from the tongues of analysts, Beal has also seen his fair share of detractors.
The most common criticism of the shooting guard is that he's not the shooter he's made out to be. After all, he only shot 44.5 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from downtown. Ray Allen's percentages were 51.0 percent and 40.2 percent, respectively, when he was a freshman at Connecticut.
Looking at just the shooting percentages is setting yourself up for failure. The people that cite those numbers are also the ones who forget that Beal played some small forward for the Gators and was asked to take on a bigger role for the slightly dysfunctional team.
Florida's offense was best when Beal was at his best. That also meant that he was asked to take far too many difficult shots, thereby depressing his percentages.
If you just watch him shoot the ball, you'll be sold.
Additionally, Beal is about to enter the NBA and he turned 19 on the day of the draft. He isn't even 20 years old yet! Give him some time to mature and develop.
He's not a perfect pick, but no one ever is. Beal, as you'll learn over the next few years, is definitely worth the hype.
