The Washington Wizards are perpetually among the most fascinating teams in the NBA. Rarely does it have to do with what they’re able to do on the floor, mind you, but it’s because no team has players more willing to call one another out publicly than Washington. For example, last season, John Wall and Marcin Gortat had as bitter of a public war of words as you’ll ever see out of a pair of teammates.
This year, the Wizards made it five games before this all started up again. Washington fell to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, 116-112, dropping them to 1-4 on the season. Following the conclusion of the game, both Wall and Bradley Beal spoke about their disappointment in how some of their teammates are carrying themselves on the floor.
Both All-Stars voiced concerns about how their teammates react to not getting shots. Neither of them named anyone specific, but based on their comments to Fred Katz of The Athletic, it’s obvious this is an issue they believe needs to be resolved immediately.
“We’ve got guys that’s worried about who’s getting shots. … You should never worry about that,” Wall said. “No matter if you’re missing or making shots, you gotta be able to compete on the other end. You can’t do it on both ends of the floor, you don’t need to be playing.”
Beal was just as harsh, saying “sometimes, we have our own agendas on the floor,” and as long as long as “we’re worried about the wrong sh*t,” it’ll continue to have a negative impact on the team.
No one ever questions Washington’s talent, but it always seems like the Wizards’ undoing is internal strife. Perhaps this public criticism from Beal and Wall will lead to guys getting their acts together and falling in line, but if the past is any indication, there are plenty of reasons for skepticism that it’s going to work.
(Via The Athletic)
