by WASHINGTON, DC, Sporting Alert – Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal has revealed that he will cut out the long-range two-pointers and substitute them for stepback three-pointers this coming season.
The third-year pro who improved his effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage numbers last term, revealed that after breaking down and evaluating the past season, he decided to tweak a few things during the offseason.
Two of the things Beal said he worked on in the summer were his shot selection and the spots where he took shots.
“I did evaluate it after the season,” Beal said, according to CSNWashington.com. “[I] sat down, looked at film, looked at statistics on paper.
“It just made sense to eliminate those shots. Those are bad shots and as a team that’s what we’re doing now. We want to eliminate those long 2s as much as possible.
“Just be aware on the floor. It’s going to be hard to say we won’t shoot them because there are going to be times when we’re going to be open.”
He added: “I have been working on my stepback. I have been working on my 3s off the dribble this summer.”
Beal averaged 15.3 points, 3.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game last season.
On Tuesday night, the 22-year-old and the Wizards will open their NBA preseason schedule against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Verizon Center, in Washington and many, including coach Randy Wittman can’t wait to see how the guard has been progressing with his adjustments.
“He’s worked at it. I’d like to see where it is,” Wittman was quoted as saying about Beal’s stepback three-point shots. Now it’s just a matter of feeling comfortable.
“… I want him to be able to mix those things in. I also want him attacking the rim which creates him getting to the free throw line a lot in those situations.”
Beal shot 42.7-percent from the floor last season and 40.9 percent from three-point range, which were career highs.
