3 Things We Learned from the Wizards Overtime Loss to Cleveland
1. John Wall still learning how to be a scorer and a distributor
Washington Wizards’ point guard John Wall played well, but he’s still learning how to score and be a distributor at the same time. He scored 22 points and recorded 12 assists, but he also had six turnovers and just four rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, Wall became the closer that he can be. He scored six points in the period and set Bradley Beal up for the game-tying three with 43.7 seconds left in the game.
Amazing pass by Wall to Gortat on quite the patient set up vs Cleveland's mismatched defense. #Wizards pic.twitter.com/BYIui8UGpO
— Veteran L(W)izard (@Truth_About_It) February 7, 2017
However, in overtime, he scored just three of the Wizards’ 15 points and dished out only two assists. LeBron James fouled out to begin the overtime period as well. When the opponent is without their best player, Wall has to learn to shine as the best player on the floor.
The Wizards had just 10 fast-break points while forcing Cleveland to commit 20 turnovers in the game. There’s room for improvement, but with such a young core of players, it’s a good thing for head coach Scott Brooks and the Washington organization.
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In a game with 15 ties and 16 lead changes, John Wall and the Washington Wizards showed they’re ready to hang with the top team in the East. Now, with a 30-21 record, they just need to keep it up. The teams meet again on March 25, also at the Verizon Center.