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John Wall’s Injury Could Be Bad: What It May Mean

By Josh Wilson

May 5, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (left) and guard John Wall (right) on the bench against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 5, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (left) and guard John Wall (right) on the bench against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Wizards got off to a hot start against the Atlanta Hawks in game one, but were unable to seal a win in game two and keep their undefeated postseason alive. They were notably outplayed in several aspects, however, there’s a lot to take away from this game to be optimistic about.

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For one, they cut the lead within five points several times in the fourth quarter. Although this doesn’t equate to a win whatsoever (not even an internal win), they were able to get this close without their starting guard, John Wall. Wall sat out with a wrist injury.

The question obviously comes up: How different would this game have been if Wall were a factor for Washington? He has been able to push the Wizards to wins several times in the past, and I’m led to believe that could’ve been the case in game two as well.

This leads us to believe that the Wizards aren’t totally dependent on Wall. While his presence certainly helps, the Wizards showed they can keep up with a playoff team, even without Wall on the floor. And based on new reports, it looks like they might have to.

Wall has gone to look for a second opinion on his wrist injury, although it is not fractured. This evaluation will determine his availability for the rest of the series against the Hawks, and even the playoffs if the Wizards advance.

Although Wall did come back into the game smiling in game one after his injury, he sat out in game two after speaking with doctors initially. Now, he’ll talk to more doctors to see what they think about the next few games. The wrist is swelled, and Wall has said he needs the swelling to go down before he plays.

Although Wall didn’t play, he’s still a huge part of the team’s morale, and sort of acts like an assistant coach when sitting the bench. During game two we saw him speaking to Gortat and other players, intensely providing them with observations he had from his court-side view of the game. So it’s not like without Wall in the game, he’s 100% useless. He still serves as a weapon even from the bench. Although he can’t directly change the outcome of the game, he can be an active participant in the time-out huddles, and the locker room, which is more important than most people realize.

Despite missing Wall, the Wizards were able to get a lot of positives from this game about players who normally don’t get as much playing time.

Ramon Sessions only played 17 minutes in game one totaling up five points, but when he was given nearly 40 minutes of playing time in game two, he got 21 points, a playoff high for him. Otto Porter’s presence was also noticeable as well, he got 15 points up in 30 minutes.

Sessions’ numbers show how much of an impact he had, but this play was very big for him. Porter was able to draw the foul, and still get his shot up, and magically, the ball landed in the hoop. It’s one of the craziest shots I’ve seen all year.

The point being made is that although having a Wizards team without Wall is devastating, it doesn’t rule them out against the Hawks. They hung around, in Atlanta without Wall, and nearly took a 2-0 series lead going home to Washington.

The hope is that Wall will be back with the team, and hopefully the doctors tell him it’s safe to come back for game three. But the Wizards, if they find themselves without Wall, should not be considered “shorthanded.” Sessions has shown he can do a decent job at picking up the slack, and other off-the-bench players like Porter and Drew Gooden have also shown they’re decent playoff players.

Many Hawks fans counted the Wizards out for game two as soon as the news came out that Wall wasn’t going to be playing. The Wizards showed that even without Wall, they can be contenders, even if that’s the case for the rest of the series.

Next: Who Did The Wizards Take In Our Latest Mock Draft?

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