The competition for best backcourt in the NBA starts with the two best shooters on planet Earth wearing blue and gold in the Bay Area, but the Splash Brothers can’t hold that title forever. The league is in a golden age for guards. The specified roles for point guards and shooting guards have morphed together. The best backcourts feature guys who can create for themselves and their teammates while defending multiple positions.
Versatility is the name of the game in the modern NBA, and one backcourt that’s proved to be mighty versatile plays for Scott Brooks in Washington. The John Wall-Bradley Beal tandem has one of the more complementary skill sets in the league. Brooks talked to Chris Mannix of The Vertical about his expectations for Wall and Beal.
I think they could be the top two-way backcourt in basketball. They both defend. they both can obviously score. Bradley [Beal] is one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen and they can help their teammates score. The best thing about it is one is 25 and the other is 23, so their best basketball is ahead of them.
Wall and Beal have a chance to become the best backcourt in basketball, but in order to do so, they have to stay on the court. Beal has dealt with leg issues his entire career that have forced him to miss long stretches of the season. Wall has dealt with more fluky injuries that have come about at inopportune times.
A healthy first season under Brooks could really accelerate their development. Brooks coached two guys in Oklahoma City who turned out to be pretty good. If Wall and Beal can stay out of harm’s way, Brooks’ claim may not sound so far fetched in the near future.
