Washington Wizards: John Wall Shouldn’t Blame Referees For Loss In Utah

Washington Wizards star John Wall publicly blamed the officials following the team’s loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

There’s rarely just one reason an NBA team loses a game.

Throughout the course of 48 chaotic minutes, a lot happens that swings an outcome of a game. A transition dunk, for instance, can change the momentum of the game, ultimately deciding the victor.

But blaming the referees, who inevitably miss calls and make bad ones, is usually never the route to take.

After the Washington Wizards lost a close game to the Utah Jazz on Friday night, a frustrated John Wall spoke to the media, openly ranting about the poor officiating that took place.

Normally quiet and PR-friendly, Wall sat shirtless in the visiting locker room, clearly upset about the way the Wizards lost in Utah. Instead of pulling any punches, Wall set himself up for a potential fine.

"“You shoot 31 free throws to 16. We’re an aggressive team that attacks the basket. That don’t make no sense. I had to get [my arm] bandaged up because I’m bleeding and the ref tells me that’s not a foul. It’s getting out of hand.“We didn’t lose this game. The refs made us lose this game. We fought hard to give ourselves a chance. But you don’t shoot 31 free throws to 16 the way we attack the basket as a team. That’s how I feel about it.”-quote via ESPN"

Wall has a point.

There were multiple possessions where he drove to the basket and was clearly hit, but didn’t get the referees to blow the whistle. The free throw disparity is an issue. As Wall noted, the Washington Wizards did attack the basket. They did everything required to get to the free throw line, but the refs weren’t giving them calls.

That happens.

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But the Wizards did lose the game and it wasn’t entirely the referees’ fault.

Wall scored 16 points on 6 of 22 shooting from the field.

The Jazz did a solid job of denying Wall from finding open looks on the perimeter and when he drove inside, he was met by Rudy Gobert, who’s arguably the best rim protector in the NBA.

Averaging over double-digit assists on the season, Wall only had 1 assist at halftime against the Jazz.

He finished with just 5 assists – only half of his average.

Washington had multiple opportunities to tie the game up at the end, including a possession which Bradley Beal botched, resulting in a turnover. The late-game execution left a lot to be desired.

It wasn’t the most efficiently officiated game of the season, but that happens.

Utah still plays traditional basketball in the sense that the team relies on their big men more than most teams. They’re physical, leaning on their defense more than their versatility offensively. Teams like that will often force the officials to do their jobs differently.

Next: Washington Must Remember Their Underdog Status

As the team’s leader, Wall should take blame for the loss, not divert it to the refereeing – something he has no control over. The Wizards lost partially because of poor officiating, but they also lost because their franchise player struggled. At this point in the season, with 15 technical fouls under his belt, Wall doesn’t have much time to complain.