John Wall Says He Has 'No Problems' with Wizards' Bradley Beal
April 28, 2020
John Wall made it clear there is no bad blood between the best two players on the Washington Wizards.
"I have no problems with Brad," he said of Bradley Beal during an interview with NBA TV. "I want to win just as much as he do. I wouldn't be myself if I didn't have him, I don't feel like he'd be himself if he didn't have me."
Wall also pointed to the strides Beal has made as the one go-to option for the Wizards while he is sidelined by injury.
"The way he has developed his game and evolved is amazing," the point guard said. "I can't wait to get to play with a person like that because when I played with him he wasn't on this level."
Wall has not played since December 2018, and Washington missed the playoffs without him last season and was likely on the way to the same fate in 2019-20 at 24-40 before the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
While Beal has taken notable strides without Wall on the floor from a statistical perspective and is averaging a head-turning 30.5 points per game this season after posting 25.6 points a night in 2018-19, the team is clearly better with both healthy and playing together.
Washington made the playoffs in four of five years from the 2013-14 season until the 2017-18 one, reaching the second round three times in that span as an Eastern Conference contender.
It wasn't always great, though, as the Wizards have a long history of drama. Wall even told NBC Sports Washington's Chris Miller in 2016, "I think a lot of times we have a tendency to dislike each other on the court."
The University of Kentucky product had a different tune in his interview with NBA TV, and it isn't difficult to envision the Wizards returning to the playoffs in 2020-21 when he is once again playing alongside an improved Beal.
Whether Wall returns to his previous form as a five-time All-Star and All-Defensive selection at the same time Beal continues scoring at a high clip is a major wild card, but Washington fans can at least take solace knowing the point guard is ready to lace it up again with his backcourt teammate.