Bradley Beal nearly hit a breaking point Tuesday.
That much was evident as cameras showed Beal sitting on the bench in the closing minutes of the Wizards’ 107-88 road loss to the Rockets — a game in which he played a team-high 35 minutes, scored a game-high 33 points and brought in five rebounds and four assists. (He and teammate Russell Westbrook did combine for 11 turnovers, however).
MORE: Beal not judging Russell Westbrook after exit from Rockets
Beal’s frustration is understandable. Per ESPN Stats & Info, the two-time All-Star on Tuesday became only the sixth player in NBA history to score 25 points or more in their first 12 games of the season. Despite his averaging 34.1 points (on 45 percent shooting), 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 rebounds per game, Washington has struggled to a 3-10 record. That has been stamped by losing streaks of five, three and, now, two games.
Naturally, Twitter was quick to latch onto the viral moment. In a display of astounding empathy, however, the majority of reactions weren’t negative (though some were a bit snarky).
Here’s a sampling of the best Twitter reactions following Beal’s moment of dejection:
Bradley Beal is so talented. Feels like a waste of a career. Doesn’t he want to play in some games that, I don’t know, actually matter. #bealieve
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) January 27, 2021
Free Bradley Beal Expeditiously!!!
— Marcelas (@MarcelasHoward) January 27, 2021
Bradley Beal deserves better than Washington, man.
Dude is going through it.
— Gene Henley (@genehenley3) January 27, 2021