'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Bradley Beal has had yet another standout scoring year for the Washington Wizards and currently leads the NBA with 31.4 points per night.
Up until recently, his serial shooting had not equated to much success for the Wizards, who were languishing outside the playoff picture. However, after an eight-game winning streak, in which Beal put up over 32 points per outing on 47% shooting, Washington are now 10th in the East.
Bradley Beal points out misconception regarding Russell Westbrook
When Russell Westbrook joined the Washington Wizards from the Houston Rockets, it was hard to tell whether pairing him with Bradley Beal would work. Things looked bleak at first as the Wizards went 5-15 through their opening 20 games despite both players stuffing the stat sheet. Since then, the Wizards have had a 22-19 record and are now in playoff contention.
Appearing on ESPN's The Jump on Tuesday, Bradley Beal discussed what it's been like to play alongside Westbrook, a player some have said is difficult to work with.
"Everybody has this misconception on Russ that he's a bad teammate, doesn't get along with coaches and only cares about himself," Beal declared. "But when he got here, it was the complete opposite. He loves his teammates, he's all about his teammates. He couldn't care less about scoring, he wants everybody to do well. He's in my ear every second and that's motivation because he's MVP and so I sit down and I shut up and I listen."
Bradley Beal clearly regards Westbrook highly and with the two of them together, they will certainly be one of the most feared teams should they make the playoffs. None of the top three teams currently in the East will want to face a healthy Westbrook and Beal who are dominant, win-at-all-cost guards.
Bradley Beal says teammates are confident should they reach the playoffs
During his appearance on The Jump, Bradley Beal also discussed his thoughts on the Wizards' postseason hopes and whether they could cause teams trouble.
"We're confident in ourselves, obviously," Beal said. "We hate the position that we're in right now, we feel we should be comfortable in the playoffs. Hopefully we can still make a run and move up a little bit if possible though. We're fighting and clawing and we're right there. "
Whether the Washington Wizards can make the postseason is yet to be seen as there's still plenty of basketball left to play. Luckily, the Wizards have a favorable run of fixtures coming up. They face three teams with worse records than their own and only two of the league's top-8 sides, one of which is the LA Lakers, who are still without LeBron James.
It will certainly be an exciting and nail-biting few weeks for Wizards fans.
