John Wall has been out of action since 2018-19 and a lot of fans have forgotten just how talented the Washington Wizards star is.
This past week, a video began to circulate of him working his way back into game shape – and he is looking like a beast.
John Wall straight COOKING at Justin Zormelo runs 👀👀 @jusmelo@BBallAnalytics@JohnWall pic.twitter.com/TnpsagavAo
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 2, 2020
Seeing Wall ball it up is a welcome sight. He has been out of the NBA since December 2018, when he suffered a heel injury. One month after that, he somehow developed an infection from surgery on that heel. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he subsequently ruptured his Achilles.
As a result, Wall sat out the entirety of last season.
Bradley Beal was forced to single-handedly carry the Washington Wizards in 2019, and it resulted in the team missing the playoffs and finishing with a 25-47 shortened season record.
Why do bad things happen to good people. https://t.co/NRSKvX1j7f
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 3, 2020
Needless to say, they could have used Wall’s offensive firepower.
In 2018-19 he averaged 20.7 points on 44.4 percent shooting and 8.7 assists per outing. Although he only played in 32 games that year, his value was clear.
Over the course of his NBA career Wall has averaged 19 points and 9.2 assists per game.
The Wizards will owe him $41 million next year, $44 million the following year, and $47 million in 2022-23 when he is 32 years old, so obviously everyone is really rooting for a successful recovery.
And nobody is more excited for Wall’s triumphant return than the man himself.
Classic. https://t.co/AjohWf9MDy
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 3, 2020
“When I’m not playing, I’m watching these guys play,” he said this year.
“Like these young guys, they killing our team and they looking at our bench and stuff. Just know I got those written down in my notes for when I come back when they start next season. I can’t wait to see them what I got, what I’m about. But I’m gonna be better than what I was before, and that’s the scary part.
“Damn near the whole five years I was an All-Star I played with two bone spurs in my knee and my heel. People don’t know that. They ain’t even get the best of John Wall yet, they just got a clip of him.”
At his best, Wall is one of the most exciting players in the NBA. When he is good, the entire league is better.
Are his offseason dominant runs a sign of things to come? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
