John Wall Proving He’s Among Elite Point Guards
John Wall is proving he is among the league’s best at the point guard position.
In an era where the point guard reigns supreme, Wednesday night was a prime example of the two that are guiding the league in the right direction. Stephen Curry is undoubtedly having a season for the ages. The amount of superlatives to describe him are starting to run out. He is also definitely leading the pack as the league’s best point guard.
Not far behind him is Russell Westbrook with triple-double efforts every night. Chris Paul has also shown he is still the best by being the traditional guard with a pass first mentality. However, one name seems to be forgotten or vastly underrated when it comes talking about the best: John Wall.
If it were any other night when Curry didn’t score 51 points and nearly break the three-point game record, we would be talking about Wall having perhaps the best game of his career. Wall showed he was not going to be intimidated by the big matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
He matched Curry in efficiency as both players shot over 67 percent from the field. And even though Curry took about 13 more three-pointers than he did, Wall remained a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown. He showed a valiant effort as the Wizards lost 134-121 at the Verizon Center.
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Wall lacked the help he needed from the other Wizards starters, as no one was able to score more than nine points. However, if there is one stat Wall can take pride in that can set himself apart from Curry it is his ability to distribute. Wall was able to have a 10-assist game to support his point total.
It is a statistic that shows Wall was trying to get his teammates involved, which probably led them to score 121 points. It is the second most points the Warriors have given up all season, according to NBA.com. Wall’s assist total also proves he is true point guard in my eyes, meaning that he likes to pass first, set up his teammates and score later when needed.
Personally, Wall is the type of point guard I would put over Curry, Westbrook or even Kyrie Irving if you want to talk about my definition of top point guards. Most point guards of this era could easily be labeled as shooting guards instead of point guards. Wall reminds me of the guards of old that would set their teammates up for success such as Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd and Isiah Thomas.
In fact, I could make the argument that Draymond Green is more the point guard on the team than Curry. Green averages 7.4 assists per game compared to Curry’s 6.4 assists. I can also make the argument that he is the most important player on the team because of what he does on the court with points, rebounds and assists.
Wall is the clear point guard of his team averaging 9.8 assists per game. I feel that if they were to switch teams, Wall would average even more assists on the Warriors because he would be playing with more help. For his career, Wall averages 8.8 dimes per game, while Curry averages 6.8. Wall also averages more rebounds (4.4 to 4.2).
Wall is also at a disadvantage because he does not have as much spotlight on him as Curry does. He recently ended his shoe deal with Adidas. He just signed with Rich Paul (LeBron James‘ agent) , according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. And the Warriors are the best team in the league, so they’re going to have more time to shine.
Wall has also made more of an impact on the defensive end than Curry. Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala are the Warrior’s best defenders. In total stats, Curry has more steals than Wall (818 to 665). But Wall has more blocks than Curry (253 to 98). I feel that Wall takes on the challenge of guarding the other team’s best guard. I usually see Thompson guarding the elite point guards on the other team instead of Curry.
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Curry is more of a scoring guard who will pass on occasion. Of course it doesn’t mean guys such as Curry or Westbrook are selfish, on their respective teams they need to score in bunches in order for their team to be successful. I just know that if he continues to have games such as this, the critics will have no choice but to put Wall as one of, if not the best point guard in the league.