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Beal says he and Wall are fine, will 'be in rankings of the best backcourt'

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

It was reported earlier this summer that the Washington Wizards have chemistry problems between their starting backcourt.

New head coach Scott Brooks earlier denied those rumors, and now the players involved - Bradley Beal and John Wall - are echoing the sentiment.

"Me and John are fine," the 6-foot-5 shooting guard said Monday, as quoted by Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports. "We're going to be in rankings of the best backcourt."

The duo has already been considered one of the NBA's top guard tandems, with Beal declaring two years ago that they were in fact the best.

They didn't get much chance to prove themselves last season, however, as Beal missed 27 games with a recurring right leg injury and the .500 Wizards fell short of making the playoffs for the first time in three years.

The 23-year-old Beal, who signed a five-year max contract this summer, averaged 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and a steal in 31 minutes last season, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 38.7 from long range.

He and Wall could also be set back this year, as the latter underwent two knee surgeries in May, leading to uncertainty on whether he'll suit up during the preseason.

Though Wall has admitted he and Beal have a "tendency to dislike each other on the court," Zillgitt added the All-Star point guard downplayed that friction on Media Day.

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