National Basketball Association

Washington Wizards: Scott Brooks Not Worried About John Wall, Bradley Beal Beef

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Washington Wizards stars, John Wall and Bradley Beal, recently spoke about their chemistry issues, but head coach Scott Brooks isn’t worried.

Successful NBA teams have two things: talent and health. The other often forgotten ingredient is chemistry.

The Washington Wizards have put together some great locker rooms over the past several years. Led by veterans Nene, Marcin Gortat, Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden, Trevor Ariza and others, the Wizards have been a tight group, almost never displaying any signs of hate towards each other.

This off-season, the Wizards abandoned their reliance on vets, putting together the youngest roster they’ve had since the 2010 NBA season.

Washington’s front office is hopeful that their two best players, John Wall and Bradley Beal, will finally be able to take on the leadership roles they’ve been groomed for since the beginning of their respective careers.

Unfortunately, the two have publicly spoken about their lack of chemistry this summer.

Wall, who’s managed to play through injury and made three straight All-Star appearances, talked about his strange relationship with Beal on the court. His backcourt mate, Beal, hasn’t been able to stay healthy and recently signed the biggest contract in the team’s history.

Naturally, there’s going to be some friction.

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Wall has continuously improved and carried the team alone this past season as Beal played the least amount of games in his career.

Chemistry takes time to build and the only way to achieve it is through practice.

If Beal isn’t on the court and Wall is forced to do most of the heavy lifting, then friction will inevitably occur.

This season, the two will try to finally have their breakthrough as a duo.

Right now, the pressure is on Beal to perform and prove that he can stay on the court without long periods of inactivity.

Scott Brooks, the team’s new coach, isn’t worried about the backcourt duo.

“There’s a lot of things I’m worried about going into camp, and every coach in this league is worried about. That is not one of them,” Brooks said of Wall and Beal’s possible rift. “I haven’t even talked to our assistant coaches about it. Will I meet with each player individually? Yes. Will I meet with the team? Yes. Will I meet with the positions together? Yes. But I don’t see our team having a problem with chemistry.”

Brooks, in all likelihood, is right.

Neither Wall nor Beal seem like the type to create a cancerous environment.

As Brooks said, both players are hyper-competitive and want to get their piece of the pie. Beal believes that he’s capable of becoming one of the league’s best players and Wall is likely frustrated at the lack of consistency from his teammate.

It’s impossible to force a friendship, but having a successful relationship on the court is going to be important for Wall and Beal. Both players need each other and they know it too.

Wall is a pass-first guard who’s gotten the most out of his 3-point shooting teammates. Ariza, Martell Webster and Jared Dudley all went on to have the best seasons of their careers while playing along side Wall.

Beal can become an elite offensive player, but he needs to recognize that he won’t become that without Wall on his side. And of course, for the team to become successful deep into the playoffs, Wall has to be willing to rely on Beal as well.

In a few months from now, or probably even sooner, we’ll forget the Wall and Beal story even existed. The organization, including Brooks, seems confident that it’s a non-issue.

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