Washington Wizards: John Wall Makes Case For ‘Best PG In NBA’
Following the Washington Wizards’ 133-132 double-overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday night, a pair of John Wall‘s teammates had some very high praise for their All-Star floor general, calling him the best point guard in the NBA.
Via Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post, Paul Pierce said of Wall: “You can see it each and every week. He shows something to make you think, ‘Is he not the best point guard?'” And from Marcin Gortat: “He is definitely the top point guard in the league right now.”
Not to be outdone, Kris Humphries took to Twitter to echo the same sentiments:
Can't stop this man right here...playing like the best PG in the league @johnwall http://t.co/T1EVUM76ET pic.twitter.com/nl5W2Cgz4Q
— Kris Humphries (@KrisHumphries) December 9, 2014
It’s hard to argue with Pierce, Gortat and Humphries based on Wall’s recent performances in back-to-back games against the Celtics. On Sunday in Boston Wall nearly posted a triple-double, totaling 17 points, eight rebounds, 14 assists, three steals and three blocks.
The following night in D.C. he put up an even more impressive stat line of 26 points, seven rebounds, 17 assists and three steals–something no Washington player had ever done before. Wall also has a total of 72 assists in the Wizards’ last five games. J. Michael of CSN Washington wrote:
"John Wall is [in] the conversation of being the best point guard in the NBA, not just the East. … Wall hasn’t done anything to make that look unreasonable. Yes, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, and a healthy Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook will understandably get mentioned first. But at the very least, Wall is giving even his greatest detractors reason to pause. He’s doing it on both ends, taking smart shots and taking over when needed. He has had 12 or more assists in five consecutive games, a franchise record, and set a career-high with 17 on Monday."
With the Wizards trailing the Celtics 130-123 in double-overtime on Monday, Wall took over the game down the stretch. He netted Washington’s final 10 points, outscoring Boston 10-2 to give his club a 133-132 victory. Among Wall’s late-game heroics was this ridiculous left-handed scoop layup:
Here’s a look at how Wall’s numbers stack up against the other top point guards in the NBA this season (Rose is not included, but take a look at this article, Is John Wall Now Better Than Derrick Rose?):
| Player | Age ▴ | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Wall | 24 | 20 | 35.8 | 6.4 | 14.8 | .432 | 0.9 | 2.8 | .309 | 4.4 | 5.6 | .777 | 4.9 | 10.4 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 4.1 | 18.0 |
| Russell Westbrook | 26 | 7 | 28.0 | 7.9 | 16.4 | .478 | 1.0 | 2.7 | .368 | 7.6 | 9.6 | .791 | 5.3 | 6.6 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 4.3 | 24.3 |
| Stephen Curry | 26 | 20 | 32.7 | 8.0 | 16.4 | .488 | 3.0 | 7.5 | .396 | 4.2 | 4.5 | .922 | 5.1 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 3.2 | 23.1 |
| Rajon Rondo | 28 | 18 | 32.1 | 3.7 | 9.5 | .386 | 0.4 | 1.4 | .269 | 0.6 | 1.9 | .324 | 7.4 | 10.8 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 8.3 |
| Kyle Lowry | 28 | 22 | 35.0 | 6.7 | 15.5 | .435 | 1.6 | 5.1 | .310 | 5.1 | 6.3 | .812 | 4.8 | 7.5 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 20.1 |
| Chris Paul | 29 | 20 | 34.7 | 6.8 | 13.1 | .517 | 1.6 | 3.8 | .408 | 3.0 | 3.5 | .870 | 4.3 | 9.9 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 18.1 |
Only Rajon Rondo is averaging more assists than Wall this year. Wall is also tops on the list in both steals and blocks per game. But his scoring average and shooting percentages are on the low end, and his turnover number is second-highest to only Westbrook.
While he clearly belongs in the company of these other elite point guards, it’s difficult to argue based on the stats that Wall is the best. However, he does have one big thing going for him–his age. At just 24 years old, Wall is at least two years younger than every other name on this list.
Even though Wall may not be the premier point guard in the league right now, there’s a good chance he will be in the near future.