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John Wall Deserves To Be All-Star Starter

By Jamal Williams

Jan 15, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the second half of the game Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Washington Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 118-104. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the second half of the game Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Washington Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 118-104. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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John Wal was snubbed as a starter for the East in the 2016 All-Star Game.

The votes are in! And the starter at point guard for the NBA All-Star Game is… Kyle Lowry?

The 2016 NBA All-Star starters were announced on TNT last night. And among the usual names in the East (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony), Kyle Lowry was selected for the second time as a starter.

Ok, maybe I’m being a little sour, but I feel that Lowry was a starter for the sole reason of representing his city in Toronto. Don’t get me wrong, his 20.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game are definitely worthy of an All-Star nod. But if there was one point guard in the Eastern Conference that got overlooked as the front runner for Feb. 12, it’s Washington Wizards guard John Wall.

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According to NBA.com, Wall was ranked sixth among guards in the Eastern Conference with 368,686 votes. Overall, a tough group of guys to get past, especially when the starters are voted mostly by a popularity contest by the fans. Nonetheless, the Washington Wizards guard has been playing great basketball during the halfway point of the regular season.

John Wall has not only been a force at the point guard position in the East, he has also been able to lead his team despite key injuries to Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter. He was awarded EasternConference Player of the Month during December. And he followed that up by winning Player of the Week for games played Monday, Jan. 11 through Sunday Jan. 17.

His career highs in points (19.9 per game) and assists (9.7) should speak for themselves, but obviously weren’t enough for a top spot among his peers. Wall also seems to embraced the challenge of putting the burden of his team’s struggles on his shoulders.

Perhaps it’s his team’s lack of success that has hindered his way into a starting role. The Wizards have been hot and cold during the season, sitting at 10th in the Eastern Conference at 20-21. However, we’ve seen many players who have made the All-Star team despite their team’s struggles.

Sure, Kobe Bryant is in his swan song season, but many could make the argument that he is taking a spot from someone else who greatly deserves it. Hopefully, if Wall has as many successful seasons as Bryant has had during his illustrious career, he will be worthy of not having worry if his name should be uttered or not.

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If there’s anything positive Wall can take from his latest news, is to use it as motivation for the coaches of the Eastern Conference to have no doubt that he belongs on the court in Toronto. Another silver lining for Wall is that he and Beal were named finalists for the USA Olympic Team  — another obstacle he will face to secure a roster spot, with all the point guard talent in the league to chose from. Fortunately for him, there is a lot of season left and a lot of time to persuade people that he should looked at with more consideration.

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