Beal: Notion that Wizards are better off without Wall is 'comical'

Losing John Wall for six-to-eight weeks to a left knee procedure was seemingly catastrophic news for the Washington Wizards at a pivotal juncture in the season.

Well, in the four games since Wall was ruled out, Washington has strung together four straight victories including a decisive 115-98 victory Saturday night against the Orlando Magic.

All-Star guard Bradley Beal was quoted saying "everybody eats" after Washington's 122-119 win over the Toronto Raptors Thursday, a soundbite pertaining to the team's offense and ball movement which could be interpreted as a veiled shot at Wall. He then used the line again after beating the Los Angeles Clippers, but did explain that it's not meant to be disrespectful to his teammate.

Related: Was Gortat throwing shade at Wall in postgame tweet?

"I didn't understand that ... I nipped it in the bud early," said Beal Saturday, according to The Washington Post's Candace Buckner. "For us to say that we're a better team without John, it's like ... that's comical in a sense. C'mon, let's be real.

"The guy's (Wall) the head of our franchise, a five-time All-Star. Let's be realistic. I think what benefits us, we figured out how to play without John. Reality is reality. He's injured. We don't want him injured but he is. We have to figure out a way to play without him.

Beal went on to add that "everybody eats" is actually a quote from the movie "Paid in Full" starring Mekhi Phifer and Cam'ron, and when everybody eats for the Wizards, everybody has success and gets a touch.

Over this four-game stretch, Beal has averaged 21 points, seven assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals on 46.2 percent shooting. Tomas Satoransky has also filled in quite admirably for Wall as the starting point guard, contributing 11 points, 5.8 dimes, and 1.5 steals. He's also converting over half of his field-goal attempts and is a scorching 60 percent from 3-point range.

The Wizards are now 9-6 on the season when Wall isn't available, and 30-22 overall. They're averaging a league-high 33 assists per game since Jan. 27, which is all the more impressive when taking into account Wall ranks second among players in that department with 9.3.