Hoops Habit
Fansided

Washington Wizards: 3 side effects of John Wall sitting the rest of the year

By Collin Loring

WASHINGTON, DC -  DECEMBER 5: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 5, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC -  DECEMBER 5: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 5, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Wall and Hachimura Have to Start From Scratch

It’s never a good story when your lottery pick rookie has to wait a season to play with his point guard. And that’s the case for Rui Hachimura, who despite having missed games of his own, is having a stellar rookie season behind 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds nightly.

Going into next season, the Wizards will look to continue building on their core. That currently features Wall, Bradley Beal, Troy Brown Jr, and Hachimura. Those four, plus Davis Bertans if he’s retained, will be the building blocks for next season–and hopefully the following.

But Washington has big aspirations for next year, which is in part why they’re holding Wall for the rest of this season. The Wizards want to return to where they were the day their point guard went down–a top team in the Eastern Conference with a shot at the title, albeit a long one.

Related Story. Why the Washington Wizards are rolling the dice on Davis Bertans. light

Having to wait until the summer, even training camp, to start developing chemistry between a building block of old and a building block of new–not ideal. And in the absence of Wall, Hachimura has had to play next to Isaiah Thomas, and Ish Smith.

Luckily, the latter will (most likely) be around next season as well. But the former, well he’s not necessarily known for his passing tendencies. What Hachimura was able to learn from Thomas likely pertains more to off-court matters than the on-court stuff, which, isn’t a bad thing.

Home/Washington Wizards