Washington Wizards: John Wall Wins Player Of The Week, Ascending To Superstardom?

On Monday the NBA announced that the Washington Wizards’ John Wall earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for Dec. 8-14.  James Harden of the Houston Rockets took home the award in the Western Conference.

Wall led the Wizards to a 4-0 record, while averaging 18.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.  He also shot 54 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range for the week.  According to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post, Wall was the only NBA player to average at least 18 points, 11 assists and five rebounds over that stretch.

In an interview with Jumoke Davis of the Monumental Network, Wall called the award “a big honor” that he couldn’t have achieved without his teammates, saying “those guys help me keep my assists pretty high.”

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The All-Star point guard began his week with a 26-point, 17-assist, seven rebound performance in a dramatic 133-132 double-overtime win over the Boston Celtics.  Wall scored Washington’s final 10 points of the game, all in a span of less than 90 seconds to bring his club back from a 130-123 deficit.

Two nights later in Orlando against the Magic, Wall posted 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.  He scored six consecutive points for the Wizards in the final two minutes, helping Washington rally for an 91-89 victory after trailing 89-84.

On December 12 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers Wall notched his third double-double of the week, registering 10 points and 11 assists as the Wizards ended L.A.’s nine-game winning streak, 104-96.

And finally on Sunday, Wall filled up the box score with an impressive all-around stat line of 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and five steals as the Wiz knocked off the Utah Jazz 93-84.

As Castillo notes, Wall has won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award on three previous occasions, including twice last season.  So what is it about this one that potentially signifies his rise to superstardom?

Being a superstar in the NBA is about a lot more than just playing great basketball.

Popularity and exposure take on a huge role in turning a very good player into a superstar.  For the first time in Wall’s career his Wizards are finally relevant on the NBA landscape.

Sure, a 44-38 record and first-round playoff victory over the Chicago Bulls put them on the map last year (Washington’s tough showing in Round 2 against the Indiana Pacers helped as well).

But, that was just the precursor to what is happening in D.C. this season.  The Wizards are currently 17-6, just one game back of the No. 1 record in the East.  Early struggles by Derrick Rose‘s Bulls and LeBron James‘ Cleveland Cavaliers have opened the door to the possibility of Washington contending for the conference crown.

Wall is the one driving the Wizards’ bandwagon, and the league and its fans are starting to take notice.  On Sunday three-time NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was on hand to take on the Wizards game.  Sitting courtside in the front row, Ovechkin chose to wear Wall’s jersey:

Washington is scheduled to play a nationally televised contest on Christmas Day against the New York Knicks.  In a cross-promotion with Liam Neeson’s upcoming film Taken 3, ESPN featured Wall in a recently released commercial for the network’s Dec. 25 coverage:

Player of the Week awards, national TV ads, and MVPs from other sports wearing your jersey are the kind of things that begin to turn stars into superstars.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time