Washington Wizards star John Wall carried his team to a winning record in December and was recently recognized by being named Player of the Week.
The Washington Wizards won three games last week and saw a bump in the standings, moving up to the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.
While the second unit has increased its production and the defense has improved, the Wizards will only go as far as their star player, John Wall, can take them.
During that stretch of wins, Wall averaged over 24 points and 13 assists per game – the most in the entire league. He made half of his total shot attempts and 90 percent of his free throws.
The team’s success coupled with his outstanding numbers earned Wall recognition, as he’s been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the games played from December 26 through January 1.
It’s the sixth time Wall has earned the award in his career.
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Wall has been playing the most efficient basketball of his career while increasing his shot and scoring output.
Given the bench’s struggles, the starting five has been carrying the Washington Wizards.
Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat are all having career-best seasons, at least statistically.
Wall, naturally, is playing the most important role on the team.
His energy, especially as of late, has sparked the entire roster, including the reserves waiting for their names to get called by Scott Brooks.
Washington won 10 of their 15 games in December and team has begun to bring back the “fun” element into their contests.
Wall has been leading the team on both ends of the floor, which is something he struggled with earlier in the season.
Instead of relying on help-side defense, particularly Gortat inside, Wall has shown more of a desire to stop opposing ball handlers. He’s anchoring the team defensively, changing the entire dynamic of the Wizards’ defense.
His unselfishness has also spread to most of his teammates. Beal was close to recording double-digit assists on multiple occasions. The bigs, even, have been looking for cutters instead of opting to shoot over defenses in the paint.
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Without the team’s success, Wall wouldn’t have been given the nod for Player of the Week. Luckily for the team, Wall’s performances have led to more wins in the book.