Pending another evaluation from team doctors, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal could return from a stress reaction in his leg on Monday against the New York Knicks. Beal went through morning shootaround in Madison Square Garden and said he feels good about playing if he goes through warmups without issues, reports Mike Prada of Bullets Forever.
Bradley Beal injury: Wizards guard could return from stress reaction against Knicks
A stress reaction in Bradley Beal’s leg has kept him from nine games this season.
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sport
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The stress reaction diagnosed in late November indicated the potential for a season-ending fracture and has kept Beal out of the last nine games, reports CSN Washington’s J. Michael. Washington started off 4-1 in that span but has lost four straight.
If an examination by doctors reveals the stress reaction has subsided and Beal is not in pain, the second-year guard is likely to play against the Knicks.
How much Beal plays if he’s able might be the second question to ask. The shooting guard led the Wizards by scoring 20.6 points per game through the first 13 games of the season but was averaging 40.2 minutes a night. He told Prada there have been discussions about whether he will be on a minutes restriction once he returns.
“We talked about it a little bit. I’ll leave that decision up to the docs and coach,” Beal said. “Of course, if the game’s in the heat of the moment, I won’t want to come out, if I play. But it’s for my own benefit. At the end of the day, I still want to compete to the best of my abilities, but at the same time, I have to be smart.”
Beal would give the struggling Wizards a boost from the perimeter. He was shooting 43.9 percent from behind the three-point arc, and he was doing that by attempting 6.3 per game.
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