Washington Wizards: What to expect from a new John Wall?

How will John Wall look like when he returns?

John Wall was a top 10 point guard in the league before he suffered a devastating Achilles injury back in 2019. The first overall pick in 2010 flourished in Washington, becoming a 5-time All-Star, an All-Defensive guard, and an All-NBA performer.

Though the Wizards had their woes with Wall as their franchise player, things seem to be taking off in recent years with consistent playoff appearances. Then, John Wall tore his Achilles.

For a point guard whose game was reliant on end-to-end speed and a tough downhill play, this injury is career-threatening. For John Wall to still be a productive player he has to reshape his game, improve in other areas, and show the willingness to rely on different skills than he did before.

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Luckily for Wall, this career transition comes with another transition in the Washington organization which has been the emergence of Bradley Beal. Beal who once thought to be the Robin to Wall’s Batman has shown that he is actually a star in his own right, averaging 30 points per game this season while proving to be a lead ball-handler and primary playmaker in his own right.

If Washington wants to be a successful franchise and get back into playoff contention, they’re going to need both Wall and Beal to do it. It poses the question, what type of player will John Wall be next season?

How will John Wall’s injury impact him?

With an Achilles injury, there’s no way to know really what type of player Wall will be in his return. In the past, an Achilles tear was a death-mark for NBA players with most never returning the same. Other guards like Brandon Jennings, Kobe Bryant, and Chauncey Billups had their careers completely ruined by the injury.

Then, there are also been players like Elton Brand, Wesley Matthews, and Rudy Gay who have returned to be productive players. With new developments in modern medicine along with how teams handle the rehab of Achilles injury now, there’s hope for the Wizards that John Wall follows in these player’s shoes.

What an Achilles tear does is essentially take the explosion out of player’s game. A player like Wall most likely will not have the same downhill speed or quickness which his game was based on. The injury will also likely take away Wall’s vertical pop.

The good thing is that John Wall plays the point guard position, which historically has put as much emphasis on the player’s mental smarts as it does athletic ability. This means if Wall can shape his game to be based around his smarts rather than his previous athleticism there’s serious hope for him.

What will John Wall’s game become?

When looking at John Wall’s injury, it essentially seems like it will accelerate the aging process for him as a player. Many NBA players once they get into their 30s begin to lose athleticism and begin to change their games to based on basketball IQ and finesse. Other times this leads to players be focused on becoming much better distance shooters as well.

For John Wall’s case, I chose to look at two point guards of similar athletic profile and how their games aged to see if Wall can replicate some of those skills. Those players being Hall-of-Fame point guards Jason Kidd and Tony Parker.

Much like Wall, Kidd and Parker had games built on speed. They were masters in terms of getting to the rim and running the break in transition. In Kidd’s case just like Wall, he was a great defender at the point guard position. As they aged though their speed became less effective and they changed their skill sets accordingly.

Looking at Jason Kidd, as he began to lose speed in his 30s the biggest thing he added to his game was a 3-point shot. A streaky shooter in his early years, Kidd became a 37 percent 3-point shooter in his 30s who consistently knocked down deep shots. Wall who for his career so far is only a 32 percent shooter from distance is looking like he might return to the NBA with a viable 3-point shot as well.

With Wall shooting 38 percent on catch-and-shoot 3’s in his last healthy season, there’s reason to believe he might continue to improve that shot for pull-up looks as well at the next level.

In Tony Parker’s case, though, he too improved as a 3-point shooter in his 30’s, the biggest thing he was able to add was an efficient floater and smooth mid-range shot. Though viewed as inefficient compared to direct contact layups and 3’s, Parker’s ability to work into the mid-range and top of the paint off of screens became deadly.

That in-between game became a big part to why Tony Parker still averaged 15 points per game for much of his 30’s and if Wall can come back and have a similar game, it would essentially replace his downhill style of getting into the paint for a smoother one that doesn’t have as much flare.

Of course, the most important thing for Wall is his passing much like Kidd and Parker were known for theirs. Wall for his career averages 9.2 assists per game, and a lot of that comes from his basketball IQ. Though like Kidd and Parker he likely will no longer have the speed to run a fast break, Wall can still throw easy outlets in transition. His acumen for the game will likely lead him to be an efficient passer in the halfcourt sets as well and Wall is able to hit easy cutters and shooters in the flow of an offense.

What it means for Washington

This new John Wall actually could be a bright spot for Washington. Wall will most likely no longer have the ability to be a high-usage point guard, but thanks to Bradley Beal’s development he doesn’t have to be.

A smarter more well-rounded John Wall might actually be more useful for the Wizards as he should be able to give them another steady leader on offense. If his new relationship with Beal holds up as well they could be even deadlier than before and give the Wizards something to try to make a championship run with.