Washington Wizards: 5 players facing most pressure in 2019-20
By Ben Yokoyama
4. John Wall
While John Wall’s pressure is entirely off the court this upcoming season, he still had to be on this list as the cornerstone of the franchise. The pressure he feels will come from the team and the fans to return at the beginning of the 2020-21 season as the same guard he was before his injury.
He will not feel any pressure from the organization to rush himself back from his Achilles injury this season, which is crucial. But he will have to be sure to work hard in rehab to regain the speed and strength that turned him into an All-Star point guard.
The point guard will also feel the pressure of having to earn his enormous $37.8 million contract for next season without playing a minute of basketball. In 2020-21, when he gets paid $40.8 million, he will need to be ready to earn back some of the money from 2019-20.
After being out for what could amount to nearly 20 months from January 2019 to October 2020, the guard has started second-guessing whether or not he earned the contract.
While it is a large contract, Wall is a five-time All-Star and is always among the league leaders in assists and steals.
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The front office understands that they are stuck with Wall’s contract and are making the best of an unlucky injury by keeping their assets primed for the future, giving Wall the best chance to succeed once he returns.
Even though the Kentucky product may not see the court this season, he still faces the fourth most pressure during this upcoming season because of the long rehab he will need and the peak form he needs to be in once he returns.