Washington Wizards: John Wall Playing At An Elite Level Again

The Washington Wizards got off to a slow start this year, but John Wall is starting to play at an elite level again.

After starting the 2015-16 NBA season at 6-4, the Washington Wizards‘ ensuing four-game losing streak had basketball fans panicking in the nation’s capital. Did head coach Randy Wittman need to be fired? What happened to the team’s defense? And most important of all, what was going on with John Wall?

Entering his sixth season in the league, Wall was coming off a career year in which he averaged 17.6 points, 10.0 assists (career high), 4.6 rebounds (career high) and 1.7 steals per game on 44.5 percent shooting (career high).

He only made 30 percent of his three-pointers, but Wall showed glimpses of MVP-caliber play throughout the season, leading many to believe the Wizards were on the verge of a breakthrough. Those unrealistic expectations quickly melted away when the team dropped to 6-8, with Wall’s mediocre play serving as the biggest cause for alarm.

Few expected him to be a legitimate MVP candidate in the same class as Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but most were expecting something more inspiring than his early stat line of 16.1 points, 7.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game on .390/.288/.731 shooting splits — especially from the leader of a team many considered to be a dark horse in the East.

The Wizards have only gone 3-2 over the last week, but John Wall has gone back to playing like a secondary MVP candidate.

Over that five-game stretch, Wall averaged 28.0 points, 9.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. He shot a staggering 56 percent from the floor, 47.4 percent from three-point range and 85.3 percent from the foul line. He committed 4.2 turnovers per game, sure, but Wall was absolutely sublime for Washington over the last week.

For a shorthanded Wizards team that’s missed Marcin Gortat (three games), Kris Humphries (two games), Nene (five games), Drew Gooden (five games) and Gary Neal (one game), Wall’s resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time.

In the first game of the week, Wall had his best performance, putting a season high 35 points, 10 assists and five steals in a surprising road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They followed it up with a head-scratching loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but that was the second night of a back-to-back and Wall was once again the best player on the floor, finishing with 34 points, 11 assists and seven boards.

It was Bradley Beal who took over down the stretch of Washington’s home win over the Phoenix Suns, but Wall chipped in 17 points, nine assists and six boards. A knee contusion late in the game against the Dallas Mavericks supplied Chocolate City with a major scare, but Wall wound up being okay and still had with 28 points, 10 dimes and five steals in the contest.

Given the way he racked up 26 points and seven assists in another impressive road win, this time against the Miami Heat’s top five defense, Wall’s knee appears to be doing just fine.

On the season, Wall is now averaging a more respectable 19.3 points, 8.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game on .443/.333/.772 shooting splits, but in December, he’s been absolutely superb.

There’s no question that John Wall is one of the best facilitators in the game today. He’s averaging 8.1 assists per game this season (fifth in the NBA) and he’s assisted on 38.8 percent of his team’s field goals. But Wall’s emphasis on being more of a scorer and three-point shooter this season has started to pay off over the last five games.

Last year, Wall averaged his 17.6 points on 14.8 field goal attempts per game, with 2.7 of them coming from three-point territory. This year, Wall is averaging 19.3 points (tying a career high) on 15.6 shot attempts per game, with a whopping 4.1 of them coming from downtown.

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Wall has not been a great long range shooter historically, but he did knock down 35.1 percent of his 3.8 three-point attempts per game in 2013-14. Bradley Beal is still this team’s designated sharpshooter, but if Wall can be more efficient on a limited number of attempts, the Wizards will continue to enjoy the 11th best offensive rating they’ve boasted over the last five games (103.9 points per 100 possessions).

Otherwise, Washington may be closer to the bottom-10 offense that’s posted an offensive rating of 99.6. The defense has actually gotten worse in the last five games, but that might have something to do with the Wizards missing so many frontcourt players, and as long as the offense is humming, the Wizards’ small-ball approach will give teams problems.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 7

He’s not a legitimate MVP candidate like Curry, Paul George or Russell Westbrook, but the return of the John Wall we all know and love — the Washington Wizards‘ MVP — has been a welcome sight. It’s the only reason this team has managed a 3-2 record over the last week despite a rash of missing personnel.

If he can play at a similar level the rest of the way, it won’t be long before the Wizards start living up to expectations again.