3 reasons John Wall’s return will fix the Washington Wizards
Defensive role model
Aside from last season, where he played just 32 games, Wall has been a great defender for most of his career. He’s never averaged less than 1.3 steals per game and has posted a defensive rating of 108 or lower in seven of his nine seasons.
It’s no coincidence that the Wizards are putting on one of the NBA’s all-time worst defensive campaigns in a year without the point guard. And it no doubt isn’t motivating Beal to go the extra mile when he already has to pour in 50 points a night to keep things competitive.
Wall was the role model for defense when on the court for Washington. The team hasn’t been this young (eight players 22 or younger) at any point in his career. Meaning the Wizards need that same role model on the floor to set the standard for defense, more than ever.
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And while they were no defensive fortress when Wall was healthy, they were still a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of rating and points allowed. For the 2017-2018 season, the last where the guard was fully healthy, Washington finished with the NBA’s 15th best defensive rating at 107.7.
That’s in comparison to this season, where they’re dead last in nearly every defensive statistic, behind a 115.8 rating. There’s no doubt that Wall would help in that department.