The year is 2010, and the Washington Wizards are coming off a horrible season where losing was contagious, and they did a whole lot of it. Gilbert Arenas had his season cut short, and both Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were traded to contenders at the deadline. This horrid season where they went 26-56 would lead them to the No. 1 pick in the draft.
With this pick, they took a talented young guard out of Kentucky named John Wall. It did not take him very long to emerge as a playmaker in the league.
During his rookie campaign, he averaged 16 points, five rebounds and eight assists per contest. He was becoming their leader right off the bat.
It took a few years of his strong play and the team around him improving before they were able to get to the postseason. But in his fourth year, they finally got there and made some noise, too.
They knocked off the Chicago Bulls in five games. They would face a tough Pacers team, winning a few contests before being knocked out in six.
Wall was only 23 during that postseason, so he had some inconsistencies during the run. He did finish with averaging 16-4-7 overall, showing some flash. This was also the first year of his career where he played all 82 games and was voted in as an All-Star.
It would take three more years for them to advance in the postseason in what was a memorable season for them. They knocked the Hawks off in six games in the opening round, thanks to some late Paul Pierce magic.
And they took the Celtics to seven games. It was the sixth game of that series when Wall hit a three late to lift them to a win.
All Downhill
They have struggled since then, not making the postseason since 2017-18, when they lost to Toronto in the opening round. Wall played in just 41 games that season, so the fact they even made the playoffs was impressive.
The 2018-19 season was a disaster for the Wizards. They made a few questionable trades by sending away Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter for a very small return. Wall was plagued by injuries throughout and, despite never being healthy, managed to average 21-4-9 in his 32 appearances.
While Wall has been hurt, Bradley Beal has turned into an All-NBA caliber guard. The two of them were always among the best NBA backcourts, and they’re finally going to be reunited next year. Imagine how good Beal is going to be with a star point guard next to him again.
And the fact that so many folks have taken to calling Wall overrated and forgetting about him is nuts. He’s averaged 19-4-9 with two steals per game for his career. He’s a four-time All-Star and has been selected as All-NBA and All-Defense before. He’s going to come back hungrier than he was before.
DC — and Wall — could surprise many folks next year.
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