Wizards' Beal suffers apparent shoulder injury in loss to Hawks

The Washington Wizards may once again be looking at life without Bradley Beal.

For now, they have no choice but to hope for the best after Beal left Saturday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks late in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a left shoulder injury.

Beal took a Jeff Teague knee to the shoulder during a chase for a loose ball with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but remained in the game following the play.

With 56 seconds remaining in the contest, however, Beal walked off the court in obvious pain while clutching his left arm. He was promptly replaced by Ramon Sessions.

Beal also appeared to injure his left hand after crashing to the floor while converting a layup earlier in the fourth quarter.

The Wizards didn't provide an update on Beal's status following Saturday's game, but the Washington Post's Jorge Castillo reported that the shooting guard underwent x-rays.

Seeing Beal writhing in pain is unfortunately nothing new for Wizards fans, as the 22-year-old missed 54 games over his first three seasons with a variety of ankle, leg, and wrist injuries.

Through five games this season, Beal was looking every bit like the Most Improved Player candidate most projected he would be, averaging 25 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals on an effective field-goal percentage of 57.9.

Beal had 11 points, six rebounds, six assists, and eight turnovers in a tough night at the office before leaving Saturday's contest.

If Beal is forced to miss time, the Wizards' depth issues may be cast into light, particularly with Martell Webster dealing with a potentially season-ending hip injury. Gary Neal would likely pick up Beal's minutes in the back court.