Washington Wizards: 2017-18 player grades for John Wall

Weaknesses

The Washington Wizards’ lack of depth has hurt the development process of John Wall. He played over 40 minutes in the final three contests during the postseason and it showed in his numbers.

Wall shot 43.3 percent from the field and just 10 percent from 3-point land, averaging 5.0 turnovers per game in Washington’s final three playoff games. He played 42.4 minutes per game, despite nursing a knee injury for much of the year. While he averaged 25.3 points per contest, he attempted 22.3 shots — well above his 16.0 attempts per game during the regular season.

It’s pertinent for the Wizards to find a second ball-handler this offseason. Prior to the 2017-18 season, Washington traded its first-round draft pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for point guard Tim Frazier. Frazier didn’t work out too well, averaging 3.0 points 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 14.2 minutes of action. He appeared in just two games in the postseason.

Ty Lawson emerged as a viable option in the playoffs, but even then, his impact was limited for obvious reasons. He signed a contract back on April 11 to join the team for the rest of the season. If they can keep him in 2018-19, it would help the backcourt depth to take the pressure off Wall to log such heavy minutes.