John Wall was supposed to be a sure thing. A freak athlete with perfect NBA size and blazing speed that was certain to make him a star from day one. He had his own shoe, his own dance and even his own rap song. But with his second NBA season now almost in the books, critics have begun to wonder if “doing the John Wall” was merely a fad.
With five games remaining in this abbreviated lockout season, Wall’s Wizards sit at second to last place in the Eastern Conference with an abysmal 15-46 record that only the Bobcats would envy. Last season, which the Wizards finished with a similar winning percentage (.280), fans were quick to point the blame at the rest of the team and dismiss Wall’s miscues as rookie mistakes. While that seemed more than plausible at the time, after a second year of wildly inefficient shooting and careless turnovers, at least some of the responsibility has to be shifted toward the 21-year-old point guard. In his rookie year, Wall struggled mightily in two areas: shooting percentage and turnovers. This season, Wall’s 236 turnovers (3.9/game) are tops in the league, an area he has failed to improve upon statistically from a year ago. Though he has slightly improved his field goal percentage to a blistering 42% (up from 40% last year), Wall has yet to prove he has any sort of game outside of the paint.
While his combination of speed and size makes him the most dangerous fast break guard in the league (it’s true), Wall’s inability to shoot from the outside has virtually eliminated the need to guard him closely outside of eighteen feet. The former top-overall high school prospect is a dreadful 3-40 from behind the arc this season. For a starting point guard who averages nearly 37 minutes per game, THREE made three-pointers is unacceptable. To put this in perspective, consider the following: Pau Gasol, Rajon Rondo (a notoriously awful shooter), and this strange man have all recorded more three point field goals than Wall this season. While Rondo has found success as an ineffective shooter, his passing and efficiency, two areas Wall must improve upon, make up for the void. With a developed deep-range jumper, Wall would force defenders to guard him further out, opening up the lane for penetration – one of his strongest suits.
Offensive struggles aside, Wall’s career is still very young and he is far from being written off as yet another number one overall bust. Despite the poor shooting, he finds ways to score (16.5 per game) and by all accounts has provided leadership for an immature Washington squad. Perhaps the success of Derrick Rose (who, remember, had Deng and Noah instead of Blatche and McGee), created unrealistic expectations for fans who expected the former Kentucky star to step in and lead the Wiz to the playoffs immediately. However, the sensational rookie season being put together by this year’s top pick, Kyrie Irving, has to create some doubt as to whether Wall may have been a bit overhyped. With ‘me-first’ teammates Nick Young and Javale McGee (this about says it all) now out of the picture in Washington, next season may be the best chance to evaluate Wall, as his supporting cast will certainly be improved. Whether or not Wall develops into the elite player he is capable of being will depend upon his willingness to work on improving his flaws. He recently told reporters that the numerous charity games he participated in over the summer may have left him ill-prepared for this season, but with a full 82-game schedule on the slate for 2012-13, few obstacles should stand in the way of Wall’s improvement. If he can develop a jumpshot and increase his offensive awareness, Wall will have fans around the league doing the “John Wall” a lot more often.