Washington Wizards: John Wall’s latest rehab update could be worrisome

After his rehab from a plethora of injuries was reportedly going so well, it appears that Washington Wizards guard John Wall has run into a problem.

It was just last month when John Wall said that he was “110 percent” healthy and that he was itching to get back on the basketball court after missing nearly two years of action. While there were rumblings that he might come back and play in the NBA’s restart, the Washington Wizards made the right decision to pull the plug on this idea entirely.

The five-time All-Star has battled through a heel injury and a ruptured Achilles that has kept him sidelined since 2018, and bringing him back to play in likely eight games seemed delusional. The plan was to have Wall ready for the start of next season reportedly, and while that could undoubtedly happen, it appears there could be a potential problem in his rehab.

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In a video conference call this past Monday, Washington’s general manager Tommy Sheppard stated that the pandemic has hampered Wall’s rehabilitation process. In the call, Sheppard stated, “he’s definitely lost all the basketball gains that he made,” due to the restrictions and limits posed by the coronavirus.

For a player that was 110 percent ready to lace up and play alongside his team just last month, these comments come off as concerning. John Wall’s injury was not a mere ankle sprain or something easily fixable, but instead two significant injuries that have sidelined him for the past year and a half.

A setback would be a devastating blow the this Washington team that had such high hopes for next season integrating Wall back into the lineup. However, Sheppard believes that this predicament will not hold Wall back from a rejuvenating offseason. With the guard not traveling with the team to the Orlando bubble, he will have plenty of time to regain his basketball stature.

“The last thing I ever have to worry about is John Wall’s work ethic,” Sheppard said on the call. “He’s going to get after this. This is a very critical offseason to him, and I think he’s got a very, very big chip on his shoulder. I think he just really wants to get back to playing basketball.”

Wall’s rehab will be critical to keep an eye on this offseason, as the Wizards desperately need him back to full strength by the time next season starts. The team has not amounted to much since the guard got injured, and halted this season with a vile 24-40 overall record. Washington cannot afford another Wall setback as it would be detrimental to their success moving forward.

With the Washington Wizards assuring that John Wall will not play the remainder of this season, the guard can hopefully continue rehabilitating and preparing for next season. Although he wants nothing more to get back onto the court with his teammates, he will just have to hopefully hold out a little longer as they make the trip down to Orlando.

Currently, 5 1/2 games back from the 8-seed, Washington has a slim chance to squeeze into the postseason and could give this entire team an extended offseason to prepare for next season. This season is already a lost cause, and all eyes are on next year.

This time off gives John Wall plenty of time to regain all of the “basketball gains” that he lost, and hopefully, he comes back even stronger next year for the Washington Wizards.