As the season winds down, writers and reporters will have a tendency to ask players about the future ahead of them.
Some – like Andre Iguodala and Jose Calderon, as you’ll see below – may be asked how they’ll go about free agency, while others (see Ty Lawson) will be asked about how they may match up against certain teams when the playoffs come around.
For Washington Wizards point guard John Wall, the main questions continue to be about his value to the franchise and why he should or should not be considered a max player.
[Related: Why John Wall is not a max player]
We’ve seen Stan Van Gundy heavily criticize Wall’s game before doing a complete 180 a few months later, and we’ve also seen just how little faith David Falk had in the guard.
So did Wall hear all the criticism, and more importantly, did he care? Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld has the answer:
A player’s third year is generally when they take the next step in their development and start to take off. Wall said that the game is slowing down for him this season and he seems much more comfortable on the court.
When asked if his recent play proves that he’s a max-contract player, Wall said it’s bigger than that. He believes he can help the Wizards become a contender in the near future, which is why the team should invest in him.
“I’m not just going to base it on my play lately,” Wall said of why deserves a max contract. “I’m just talking about me in the future and how I want to change the organization around, making the playoffs and hopefully winning a championship here.”
Earlier this year, former head coach Stan Van Gundy and NBA agent David Falk were very critical of Wall’s game. Did those harsh words serve as motivation for Wall?
“A little bit,” Wall said. “I know what I can do. You just get better year by year, learning. I know how to play this game. I’m still learning, I don’t know everything, but I knew I had to get myself better before I could help everybody else get better. That’s one thing I knew. When you’re pushing yourself, you can push everybody else around you. I feel like I’m a leader and I can help my team.”
In a way, Wall’s logic makes sense. Even if he isn’t worth max money right now, he may be worth it down the road. These are the gambles teams are forced to make when the potential for greatness (Andrew Bynum, for example) is there, and Wall has certainly shown that there is still untapped potential in him after dominating the league over the past few weeks with his improved jumper and the same devastating speed he displayed in his first few games as a rookie.
So his offensive game has improved, but as a point guard, Wall’s job is to make life easier for teammates. How is he doing on that end? Here’s what guard Bradley Beal – a potential star in the making in his own right – had to say about how Wall’s presence has helped his game, from Zach Lowe of Grantland:
Your shooting percentages are a bit below average without John Wall on the floor, and very, very good when you play with him. He seems to make things easier for you in obvious ways — all those corner 3’s you got today, for instance. Is the difference as big for you as it looks to be from the outside?
Oh, hands down. He just makes life so much easier since right when he got back. The floor is so much better spaced — who are you gonna guard? Are you gonna leave me open to guard John? Are you gonna leave Martell [Webster]? Who you gonna guard? It just makes it difficult for the other team. He does a great job of finding me, and I just keep shooting.
Back to Wall: When he started the season hurt, did you say to yourself in those first few weeks, “Man, this is going to be more responsibility than I’m ready for, or at least more than I’d prefer so soon”?
Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, with any rookie coming into a situation like I am, I think anybody would feel like that — like the pressure’s just all on you, like you just have to be the guy. I was pressuring myself too much early in the year to do that, instead of just playing my game and playing like I am now.
I talked to John a couple of weeks ago, and he was joking about teaching you some ballhandling in exchange for you teaching him how to shoot better — that you guys were planning to work out in the summer and exchange some skills. Is that the plan?
Yeah. That’s how we get better. We compete against each other. We play one-on-one. We do whatever it takes to teach each other skills — him how to shoot, and me how to dribble. And just to read certain situations. It’s going to help us get better as a team.
He said he could take more of those short corner 3’s if you could run point once in a while.
Most definitely. And the way he’s shooting right now, I’d definitely throw it to him over there. His confidence is at all-time high. He’s just knocking down shots. And I’m definitely starting to create more off the dribble. Coach is starting to put more faith in me to handle the ball and create for other people.
The problem I’ve always had with Wall calling himself a max player is the fact that he had never proved himself worthy of such a title. It’s not that the potential was no longer there, but wanting max money when you’ve never even come close to playing like one just doesn’t sit well with me. Although a month of great play doesn’t completely change the mind, at least now, he’s proving that there is more reason to invest big money in him than just the mere fact that his name is John Wall.
Onto other news from around the league: