Washington Wizards: Scott Brooks is to blame for John Wall’s regression
By Zamir Bueno
Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks implemented a ball movement system forcing John Wall to spend more time off the ball causing him to regress
There is a perception within the NBA community that Washington Wizards star John Wall has regressed as a player.
ESPN ranked Wall as the 32nd best player in their top 100 players list which was a drop of 17 spots from the previous year. ESPN explained that John’s drop by saying the following:
"” He’s quick. He’s nearly an unstoppable scorer. He is, in Washington, the franchise. So why does this season feel crucial for John Wall?"
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"That happens when you get bounced in the first round of the playoffs; have a dip from the previous season in scoring, assists and shooting percentage in an injury-plagued campaign; and at season’s end urge management to weed out malcontents. Management obliged Wall, making a few lineup tweaks. Now it’s vital that Wall demonstrates leadership, because improving in that area will carry more weight in making the Wizards a serious contender than his return to being a high-volume scorer”."
However, one would argue that the real catalyst behind his regression is a significant change to his offensive role. Coming up thru the amateur ranks Wall was known for having great passing instincts.
According to DraftExpress:
"Wall showed “excellent instincts as a passer, both with the creativity in which he” got “the ball to teammates in different spots on the floor— he”’ was “more than just a vanilla drive and dish point guard.”"
Consequently, former Wizards head coach Randy Wittman primarily used John Wall in pick and roll situations. John finished 7th in the league in pick and roll possessions during the 2015-16 season averaging 9.4 per game.
An offensive system where he initiated the pick-and-roll would accentuate his strength, passing. Starting the pick-and-roll sequence would allow Wall to study the opposing defense to determine what is the right play on a specific possession.
In that offensive system, Wall would bring the ball up to the 3-point line and call for a screen. Once the pick is set, John would pay attention to his defender to determine the course of action.
If the defender stayed under the screen, he would go over the screen to shoot a mid-range jumper.
If the defender fought over the screen, he would go over it as well and drive towards the basket to score or pass the basket Wall depending on whether a double team came.
The pick and roll system catapulted him to his second-best season as a professional because he went on to average 19.9 points with 10.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds. After the season, Washington fired Wittman because he missed the playoffs in three out of the five seasons as head coach.
Nothing would change for John Wall in the short term as new head coach Scott Brooks would increase his pick and roll possessions from 9.4 to 10.2. The increase in pick and roll possessions would help boost Wall’s points and assists per game as he scored 3.2 more points and averaged 0.5 more assists than the previous year.
Unfortunately, John Wall missed half of the 2017-18 season with recurring left knee problems. His absence allowed Scott Brooks to implement more ball movement into the offense. For example, when John returned to action, he would dribble the ball to the 3-point line and passed the basketball to a teammate.
The change would force him to spend more time off the ball in a spot up shooter. John Wall would end up taking 25 percent of his field goal attempts from behind the arc.
The shift in role dramatically lessened his involvement in the pick and roll as he went from averaging 10.2 to 6.7 possessions. The role change played a part in the decrease of Wall’s statistics as he averaged 3.7 fewer points, 1.1 fewer assists and 0.5 rebounds less than the previous year.
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The trend has continued through nine games this season as 29.3 percent of his field goal attempts from the 3-point line. On the other hand, he has been involved in 6.1 pick and roll possessions per game. It has prevented him from recapturing the 2016-17 form as he averaged 21.2 points with 7.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds.
If the Washington Wizards want to get the most out of John Wall, they should increase his pick and roll possessions.