The last few weeks of the NBA season are always an interesting time. Some teams and players are competing for the playoffs, aspiring to play deep into the Spring and hopefully compete for an NBA championship.
So what do those at the bottom of the standings have to play for?
Next season. And in John Wall’s case, a new contract.
In a wide-spanning interview last week, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall went on record claiming he deserves a max contract. While max contracts have been hastily given out to players who may not have necessarily earned them, NBA GM’s ar beginning to become a little more stingy about just handing them out to those who can score a few more points than another guy because of new rules in the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed last year.
“You never know, but I feel like I proved myself for them to give it to me,” Wall said. “I feel like the organization, the ownership knows what I’m capable of and what I bring to the table as a point guard. I feel like I put the pressure on myself to push myself to show that I’m willing to be a max player. . . .I feel like I did what I have to and still want to prove myself. I’m still not done. I still haven’t reached my peak and I feel like it’s up to them to make the decision.”
While Wall may firmly believe he deserves to be a max player, he does have his doubters. Mainly due to an underwhelming start to his career.
But after missing the first two months of this season, Wall has exceeded expectations and has shown flashes of becoming the player the Wizards believed he would be when they drafted him No. 1 overall.
Since Wall’s return, the Wizards jumped from a dismal 5-28 to a respectable 21-16. That’s likely a playoff team over the course of an 82 game season.
Since returning, Wall’s play has improved every month. He’s currently averaging 15.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds, good for a PER of 19.21. Those are pretty solid numbers for any point guard in this league.
And then there was tonight…
Wall went off, having one of those statement games Washington believed would be a patten of his game.
A career-high 47 points on just 22 shots, eight assists seven rebounds and two blocks in a 107-94 win over the blazing hot Memphis Grizzlies.
A virtuoso performance to say the least, and a showcase of the all-around game Wall possesses.
While one game is not going to get Wall the max contracts he believes he deserves, it’s a good start at convincing some others.
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.