Which John Wall will the Washington Wizards get?

With John Wall set to return for the Washington Wizards after an Achilles injury, the question remains how much does the have former All-Star have left?

When John Wall steps back on the court for the 2020-21 season it will mark his first game in two years. Wall, when last healthy, was an All-NBA selection but that was nearly four years and an Achilles tear ago. The track record for players returning from Achilles tears is horribly checkered. The question on all Washington Wizards fans’ minds; What can we expect from Wall in 2020-21 and beyond?

History of Achilles tears

An Achilles tear has spelled doom for many an NBA career. Of the 10 highest profile Achilles injuries, not a single player returned to their previous highs. In fact, the drop off in production is utterly staggering. The 10 saw an average decrease of 77.7-percent in win shares and 42.6-percent in win shares per 48 minutes from their season prior to their Achilles tear.

What was even more jarring was how hard it was for them to stay on the court. The group averaged 73.3 games the season before their injury and 73.3 games over their next TWO seasons combined. For just about every player it either ended their career as an effective basketball player or forced them to a bench role.

While the 10 man sample contains Mehmet Okur, Anderson Varejao, Brandon Jennings, Wesley Matthews, and Mario Chalmers, the remaining five players are no bums; It contains Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups, Elton Brand, Rudy Gay, and DeMarcus Cousins. Wall at his best can call these his peers but it begs the question, “What would a drop of this magnitude mean for John Wall?”