What the Washington Wizards can learn from Kristaps Porzingis injury saga

In regards to John Wall’s recovery timetable, the Washington Wizards should turn to the injury rehab of Kristaps Porzingis for advice on how to handle it.

As the Washington Wizards embark on the last leg of the 2019-2020 season, there has yet to be a definitive statement from the front office regarding John Wall‘s timetable. The franchise point guard hasn’t seen the floor since October of last season, after suffering two Achilles injuries.

There was an expectation ahead of this season that Wall would see the floor at some point during this season, provided he was healthy. And he has looked just that in pregame warm-ups.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

But as the Wizards begin to fade in their push for the postseason, and the rest of the season becomes more about their next; addressing Wall’s timeline should be top priority.

If there’s disconnect in the front office about how to handle his injury, then Washington should look to the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks regarding their handling of Kristaps Porzingis. The 24-year old forward tore his ACL in February of the 2018 season.

And while there are certainly some differences to the two players, primarily age, there are some easy comparisons to draw between the two and their career-halting injuries. Firstly, a truth that may sound far-fetched but is accurate nonetheless: Porzingis was traded while in recovery.

So for those Wizards fans who think Wall’s health could prevent a trade, there’s your bone. Even though Wall is older, he’s just 29 years old and was a top point guard in the league before injury. In his 32 appearances for Washington last season, he averaged 20.7 points and 8.7 assists.

It’s a stretch to say that Wall would be a salary dump, even at $40+ million a year. He’s been an incredible veteran presence both on the bench and in the locker room for Washington this year. Combine that with his on-court potential, and there’s bound to be a deal somewhere.

Then there’s the timeline that surrounded Porzingis. While still with the Knicks, the message was clear: he’d be sitting the entire 2018-2019 season. But then he was traded to the Mavericks, and questions soon resurfaced on whether he’d see the floor last year.

Similar to Wall, videos began populating on social media of the Latvian forward participating in warm-ups and practice, something you didn’t see when he was in New York. As able-bodied as he looked in those small clips, he didn’t see the floor until opening night this season.

And that’s where the Washington Wizards need to pay closer attention, Porzingis’ return.

He played the first eight games of this season on no minutes restriction, and didn’t show rust to start. But then he hit a rough patch, and a shooting slump for the next 11 games.

Porzingis’ averaged 14.1 points on 36 percent shooting from the field over that stretch, but the Mavericks managed to keep winning thanks to Luka Doncic‘s sheer star power. He’s since picked the pace back up but did miss 10 games straight with soreness in his knee.

More from Washington Wizards

• Washington Wizards draft odds: What are their chances at the #1 pick?
• Wizards: 5 Teams that should trade for Bradley Beal this summer
• Ranking the top 18 shooters available on NBA trade market
• Trade Grades: Rui Hachimura traded to the Lakers
• NBA Trades: 5 under-the-radar trade targets

Not playing Wall this year is fine. But the Wizards need to be ready for the inevitable poor stretch that he’ll have to play through to shake off next season.

Because for Washington, next season is going to be damn near make-or-break in terms of their championship window. Bradley Beal signed on for this season and the next, but beyond that his future with the team is unclear. Can the Washington Wizards keep him in DC if they keep losing?

If Wall doesn’t come back ready to play and endure a long season with high expectations, we’ve already seen this team’s ceiling with Beal at the helm. It’ll be hard to sell him on another season with the Wizards without any major changes in personnel.

That being said, Washington’s decision on whether or not to play Wall should be inspired by what they saw, and liked or disliked about Porzingis’ play this season.

If playing him this year, for the last 15 or so games could help to shed some inevitable rust or endurance issues, doesn’t that make sense? Given they’re still in the playoff chase, there’s no rush to decide. But the second that window for playoffs closes, they’ll need to address it.

And with each decision they make, there’ll be a ripple effect one way or the other. Kristaps Porzingis’ recovery and return as a starting-caliber NBA player gives Washington at least half the answer to a question that’s been plaguing them since the start of the summer.