Washington Wizards: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18
By Randy Porga
Strength: John Wall will be a Wizard for a long time
While many were nervous that John Wall was taking his sweet time this offseason to sign his contract extension, he was merely keeping Wizards fans on their toes. He knew all along Washington is where he wanted to be, and was simply biding his time and making sure the front office would match the offer sheet that was extended to Otto Porter Jr. from the Brooklyn Nets.
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On July 26, John Wall put ink to paper and signed his extension worth $170 million for another four years, with the final season in 2022-23 being a player-option. However, fans need not worry as he publicly stating he wishes to remain in Washington for his entire career and hopefully hoisting a championship banner in the arena when all is said and done.
Make no mistake that this Wizards team has an all-around top-notch starting five; most of which are headed to their prime, are currently in their prime, or are approaching their prime. In any case, John Wall is the clear-cut leader of this team and the foundation has been built around him and should continue to be just that way.
Last year, Wall proved that he not only may not be one of the best point guards in the league, but one of the best players all-around. His phenomenal season included posting career highs in field goal percentage, points per game and assists per game, and he also led the league in steals. He shot 45.1 from the field while averaging a double-double per game with 23.1 points and 10.7 assists per game.
With John Wall, the Washington Wizards are in good hands for now and for however long he chooses to remain with the team.