Highs and lows: Bill sweeps the season solely himself

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It is said that young actors need industrial silence to flourish, but in the case of Danny Abdia – he lives from one distraction to another. After growing up in the glorious (though stressful) incubator of Maccabi Tel Aviv, it seemed that the Israeli was on his way to a much quieter destination in Washington, at least in NBA terms. Fate had other plans and since that draft the Wizards have not been making headlines: first because of the Wall Westbrook trade, then came the corona outburst on the team and recently Bradley Bill has become the hot topic of the league.

The biggest stars in the United States are talking about him, on Twitter they launched a campaign for his release from Washington and he himself admitted that he is nervous. And if that wasn’t enough, his wife joined the celebration this week with the statement “Tired of it.” All in all it is understandable, yet her husband stars every night and his team loses game after game. But to really understand the magnitude of the storm around Bill, one has to open the history books and see how unusual his season is.

In the last 50 years, only four players have averaged more than Bill this season (34.7 points per game): Karim Abdul Gabbar in 1971/72, Michael Jordan in 1986/87 and 1987/88, Kobe Bryant in 2005/06 and James Harden in 2018/19. Everyone qualified for the playoffs that season, and Bill? He holds the worst balance in the league (12: 3). Here our question is asked – is Washington weak despite or because of its star? We will try to answer.


This is a question that concerns quite a few people both in the country and in the US capital, and in most cases the answers are the opposite. The opposite answers because the perception behind them lies deep in our culture and the way we look at sports. We will look at both sides and then maybe reach an equal valley.

The American concept
Bill is the victim. There is talk of a superstar getting into an impossible situation in the uniform of the weakest team in the NBA, and he is doing everything he can to keep it with his head above water. Since the start of last season he has scored 40 points 13 times, and the season against Philadelphia has bombarded 60 points (57 in three quarters). Takes it all on himself because he has no one to play with, And despite the ability – Washington is weak.

Americans like to glorify the stars, they feed on the blown up numbers and for them if a good player and the team is not – there is only one culprit in the story (hint: not the player). That’s exactly why overseas commentators are calling on Bill to trade, which is the basis of the “Free Beal” campaign.

The Israeli concept
Abdia / The rest of the Washington players are the victims. There is talk of a player who, despite being a superstar, fails to prevent his team from being the weakest in the NBA, and it sinks in with him. Since the start of last season he has scored 40 points 13 times, still lost 12 of those games, and became the first player in history to lose 10 consecutive games in which he scored 40+ points. This season when he scored 60 against Philadelphia he had just 3 points (1 of 6 from the field) in the deciding quarter. Takes it all on himself by force And because of him Washington is weak.

We Israelis love and are good at talking ‘get lost’. The numbers can be nice but if the team loses, what have we done here? Unlike Americans, we are looking for the ‘why?’ And do not jump to conclusions. Besides, in the only game that Trail has not played this season – Abdia scored 20 points, so the interest is clear.

So who’s right?
The answer is somewhere in the middle. First of all, to say that Washington is not good because of Bill would be detached from reality, because factually it is a better basketball team when it’s on the floor. If we compare the plus-minus index of the team with and without it every 100 passers, we see an increase of 5.1 points when it is on the floor. The Wizards’ offense index stands at 114.4 with their star, and only 101.1 without him. For comparison, Minnesota (the team with the lowest offensive index in the league) – scores 103.6 points every 100 passers.

A small question for Americans. If Bill had led Washington’s current team to the playoffs, would the credit also go to the Scott Brooks / other “junior” players? Thanks to our familiarity with the acting souls they would probably have made Bill a superhero, which is why he should not be made a victim now. Its exclusive effect on team ability and balance can be argued, but it cannot be completely cleared of guilt.

Unlike Westbrook who often throws and misses (throws 18.1 times per game at 38.1% from the field), Bill is a little harder to get angry at. The latter takes the most shots in the league, 26.1, and he scores them at 47.4%. Only six teams in the entire league score a higher percentage (Washington scores 45.7%). His assists average is 4.8.

Speaking of assists, Bill had three games this season with seven or more assists. Two ended in victory, including the team play against Phoenix (Bill finished there with 9 assists) and in the third game Washington topped the list against Orlando but lost a 17-point lead in the final quarter. Westbrook, by the way, has not played in any of three games.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” said Albert Einstein, and also Bill’s wife this week. Until now – that’s exactly what’s going on in Washington and here Brooks should give the verdict. 38.4% of the Wizards’ attacks end in a shot / loss by Bill (the most in the league), and the faltering basketball does not change. Following the encouraging figure on the assists, Bill must be more of an executioner on offense and a little less of a sayer. So maybe Brooks is just not using his star right?

Not every star is a leader
The fire should be aimed first at the management, the coaching staff and Westbrook, and then comes Bill’s personal responsibility. Before all the points, assists, plus-minus and other irrelevant data, the Washington star had one goal this season: to lead the team, and so far he has failed miserably.

Last November, Bill officially received the keys to the role of landlord, with Wizards general manager Tommy Shepherd announcing that the team was being built around him. We are a little over a month into the season and have yet to receive any signs of a player who is truly capable of being the “Alpha” and leading. We also received evidence of this on the statistics page.

Washington’s 12 losses may represent the character of the team, but not its potential. In five games out of 12 she led during the fourth quarter, and in another six she found herself single-digit lag at one point or another in the decisive quarter. I mean, the only time the Wizards were really defeated this season was tonight against Atlanta.

Remember Bill’s percentage from the field standing at 47.4% this season? Well, in the fourth quarter they drop to 35.1%, with only Davis Bartans, Jerome Robinson, Isaac Bonga and Jordan Bell with lower percentages, and in the clutch (less than 5 points five minutes or less to go) he scores 25 % (5 out of 20) which is, to put it mildly, shocking.

Here Bill takes the ball to the basket but he fails to squeeze an offense or finish with two points, and the Wizards miss an opportunity to turn the score around in the closing seconds.

via GIPHY

Bill had a chance to correct, but he took a hard shot and instead of the game going into overtime – Washington went down to a 4-0 balance.

via GIPHY

Another example of Bill’s bad action in Money Time. He manages to escape to his keeper but instead of laying two easy he loses the ball and also the game.

via GIPHY

What should Bill do?
Stay until the end of the season and recalculate a route. Following the “victim” claim, it should be clarified that only two years ago he signed a new contract at the club. He knew with whom he was going into battle, and today he bears the consequences. For him as long as he continues to provide incredible numbers (which he could not have had elsewhere) and shatter some Jordan records, he arranges for himself a few more dollars in the next contract.

Apart from the economic considerations, one has to take into account that this is a player committed to himself and the club. He will not be in a hurry to raise a white flag, and after receiving the same keys from the management – he will want to carry the team as much as possible, in addition to proving to himself that he is capable of being a leader. Does Washington have time for these attempts? Certainly not.

What should Washington do?
Say thank you to the player who selected third in the 2012 draft, and let him fight for a championship elsewhere (preferably for him near a superstar / s). It may be implied that she is the one doing him a favor, but in truth she will do herself a favor. Bill’s value is higher than ever, and if she waits – she’s going to lose more assets in the trade. Bill has an option to leave next summer (22 ‘), which means teams will not be in a hurry to release too much for him next season.

March 25th. This is the date that should be surrounded by a circle in the diary of the people of Washington, because it is the last transfer date for the season. The Wizards must take advantage of the 2021 draft hold, and pounce on it with some draft picks that will change the face of the club. On social media, Washington fans are taking care to respond to the team’s posts with photos of Cade Cunningham, the young star who will be selected first in the upcoming draft.

On the one hand Washington did not have a chance to be competitive without Bill, and on the other hand it also has no chance with him. As time goes on both sides understand what needs to happen and eventually everyone will benefit. The Wizards may not build their future with Bill, but they will build it thanks to him.

If Bill leaves, Abdia will win (Getty)

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