“It’s tough. It is frustrating. I always preach your best ability is your availability, and I haven’t been that. That piece is definitely frustrating, but I have to be encouraged and understand that there’s still more that I can contribute to the game,” Beal said. “… It’s tough because we’re playing good ball. I want to be a part of that.”
There’s more on the Wizards:
- Johnny Davis, a rookie guard out of Wisconsin, didn’t accompany the team for its four-day stay in Milwaukee because he’s being treated for a hip injury, Wallace adds. Although Davis has spent much of the season in the G League, appearing in just 10 NBA games so far, coach Wes Unseld Jr. indicated that he might have been brought on the trip if not for the injury.
- Daniel Gafford also left Tuesday’s game early, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Gafford was pulled from the contest in the fourth quarter with a right elbow issue after a series of collisions with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Wizards didn’t provide any information on Gafford’s status, but they have two days off for him to recover before their next game.
- Outside shooting may be the team’s priority heading into the trade deadline, Hughes states in a separate story. Washington shot just 8-for-27 (29.5%) from beyond the arc in Tuesday’s loss, and Hughes notes that it’s the 21st time this season that the Wizards have made 10 or fewer three-pointers. They’re last in the league in threes made by their guards, so that could be an area to address in the trade market, particularly if Beal’s playing status remains uncertain.