Washington Wizards: Grading Each Part of John Wall’s Game

Can John Wall lead the Washington Wizards into the playoffs in 2013-14? (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)

John Wall is a recognizable name in the NBA despite playing for the Washington Wizards, who have not been to the playoffs in his three seasons as a pro.

The next step for Wall is to turn his team into a contender, while also demonstrating to the Wizards that he is deserving of a maximum contract extension when his current deal expires after 2013-14.

Here is a look at Wall’s game heading into what will be an important year for himself and the franchise.

Overview

Position: point guard

Height: 6’4″ Weight: 195 lbs

Experience: three years

Drafted: first overall, 2010

Career averages: 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 8 assists

i. Skills:

There is no doubt Wall is flashy with a knack for drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd, whether at home or on the road.

However, Wall is, for the most part, a fundamentally solid and complete player.

Wall wasted no time in establishing a milestone, as he reached 2,200 points, 1,000 assists, 600 rebounds, 200 steals and 90 blocks in just 134 games–the fastest do so since the NBA officially started keeping track of steals and blocks in the 1973-74 season (NBA.com).

Few players can go coast-to-coast as quickly as Wall does. He uses a dizzying cross-over dribble to slice through the defense for layups, plus he has the court vision and awareness to find teammates in the blink of an eye.

Wall was in elite company in the 2012-13 season, joining LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as the only players to average at least 18.5 points, seven assists, and four rebounds; however, it has to be factored in that Wall only played 49 games.

Wall has also shown his willingness to help out on defense, evidenced, for example, by his blocks per game average (0.8), the highest among point guards in 2012-13.

The downside to Wall’s game is that he ranked 50th among guards in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.38) and had the 27th-most turnovers (157)  despite playing only 60 percent of the Wizards’ games this season.

Teams are typically better off with a steady hand at the point, so Wall will need to clean up his decision-making a little bit, especially in close games when he may try to do too much.

Grade: A-

ii. Attitude and Leadership:

Wall was appointed team captain in his rookie season when he was only 19.  Furthermore, as the first overall selection in the 2010 draft, there were expectations that he could immediately make the Wizards a contending team.

In three seasons since Wall’s arrival, the Wizards are 72-158.  After a 2-15 start to the 2011-12 season, coach Flip Saunders was fired and replaced by Randy Wittman who, in my opinion, is not a lock to return to the sidelines for Washington in 2013-14.

Wall played poorly for a stretch of games after the All-Star break this season and he made his frustration known when Wittman benched him during the fourth quarter of a 96-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 27.

Following the game, in which he coughed up seven turnovers, while only scoring six points, Wall got into a heated argument with teammate Emeka Okafor, who tried to explain to Wall why he was removed from the game.

Wall later apologized for his actions.

“It wasn’t nothing bad. I felt like, what he said was right,” Wall said of Okafor. “It was all the right things at the right time. You’ve got to learn how to control your anger more. Ever since that day forward, I became more focused. Came to practice the next day, talked to him, put it behind us and I just went out there and tried to play basketball. Didn’t hold no grudges.”

-John Wall, Washington Wizards (washingtonpost.com, April 8, 2013)

If Wall can indeed avoid outbursts like that it the future it will do wonders for team chemistry. While Wall is certainly a leader on the court, the Wizards are lucky to have a veteran like Okafor to keep the locker room stable.

Grade: B

iii. Durability: According to NBA.com, a sprained left foot, a bruised right knee, a sore left foot and right knee tendinitis kept Wall on the sidelines for a total of 13 games during his rookie campaign of 2010-11.

Wall bounced back to appear in all 66 contests of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, but hit a snag in 2012-13 as he made just 49 appearances due to a left knee injury in the early going.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 4/30/2013.

On a per-game basis, Wall’s minutes have declined in each of his three seasons.

Deron Williams (38) and Derrick Rose (37.9) were the only point guards to average more minutes than Wall in his rookie year. In his sophomore season, Wall’s playing time dipped by almost two minutes per game, but that still ranked him fourth at his position. In 2012-13, Wall scored more points and recorded a higher shooting percentage, with only a slight drop-off in his rebounds and assists, despite averaging a career-low in minutes.

The fact that Wall ranked near the top of the league in usage percentage (29.3) in 2012-13 goes a long way to explaining why his production remained strong, however he did so with a player efficiency rating of 20.8, well above the NBA average of 15.

Less minutes and more production is a great formula.  If Wall’s playing time can continue to hover around the 32-minute mark, I imagine that would help him maintain a healthier body during the regular season, eventually the playoffs, and could possibly extend his career.

Wall is just 22 and has a lot of basketball years in front of him, but he hasn’t yet played a full 82-game season.

Grade: B-

iv. The Future:

The Wizards have not made a playoff appearance in Wall’s three seasons with the team and are experiencing a five-year drought overall. However, there were some positive signs in 2012-13.

The team went 5-28 in Wall’s absence, but after he returned to the lineup on Jan. 12, the Wizards finished out the season 24-25. In the Eastern Conference, a .500 record is a ticket to the playoffs.

The Wizards boast a collection of savvy veterans, including Okafor and Nene, and young talented players such as Bradley Beal and Jan Vesely.

Wall is surrounded with enough talent for him to lift the team into playoff contention in 2013-14. Now it is up to him to prove that he has learned what it takes to be not just a top-tier talent in the NBA, but also a winner.

Grade: to be determined