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Four Ways John Wall Can Become the Best Washington Wizards/Bullets Player Ever

By C. Denton Day

Washington Wizards John Wall (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Washington Wizards John Wall (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Washington Wizards point guard John Wall is coming off of the best season of his career, and is dedicated to having a career summer. The soon to be 27-year-old is already one of the best players in franchise history, but still has a few checkpoints to be considered the best.

The summer of 2017 has been the summer of the Wizards on Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic and understandably so. John Wall and the Wizards are coming off their first division championship since 1978-79 and were one unpredictable performance by Kelly Olynyk away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

The network just wrapped up the “Wizards Best of the Best,” a series that allowed fans of the team to vote for who they thought the best player in franchise history was.

wes unseld best washington wizard
BOSTON – 1974: Wes Unseld #41 of the Washington Bullets posts up against the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1974 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1974 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /

It was a 16-player bracket that was unsurprisingly won by Wes Unseld. Current Wizards superstar John Wall made it to the Elite Eight of the bracket, but ended up falling to Earl “The Pearl” Monroe on a 2-to-1 vote on the series special that aired on July 14.

Regardless of where Wall finished this year, it is obvious to anyone who watches the Wizards that eventually Wall will be challenging Unseld for the top spot. However, there are still a few things Wall must do before he has a legitimate shot at the title of best player in franchise history.

Maintain Longevity

Wall has improved in some aspect every year since being drafted in 2010. But to be the best player in franchise history, you must play upwards of 70 games a year on a consistent basis.

At this point the conversation of best point guard in the Eastern Conference is pretty black and white. It is Wall and everyone else. He has now placed himself in the conversation for best point guard in the league.

Doing that for one season is great, but in order to be an all-time great he must be in that conversation for years to come.

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On his current path that should not be an issue. But it was not too long ago that Wall had double knee surgery. The threat of re-injury will always be in the back of Wizards fan’s minds. Taking care of his body should be his top priority every offseason. The longer he plays the better.

Make an All-NBA First Team

This past season Wall made the All-NBA third team, his first selection to any All-NBA team. We can argue for days about how he deserved it last year over Kyrie Irving, which he did, but at this point that argument is irrelevant.

Now that he has made his first All-NBA team, the next step would be making the first team.

If Wall were to make an All-NBA first team he would join the likes of Unseld, Monroe and Elvin Hayes, all of whom have their numbers retired by the franchise and were three of the final four players in the best of the best series.

Dethrone the King

LeBron James is the best player on the planet. There is no doubt about that. He’s been to seven consecutive NBA Finals and eight of the last eleven.

In short, he has dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Eventually his reign will come to an end, but the question is how? Will it be when he retires or will someone step up to the plate and send him home before the month of June?

john wall lebron james
CLEVELAND, OH – MARCH 25: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards look for the score during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on March 25, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Wizards defeated the Cavaliers 127-115. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

It was pretty clear during the regular season the Wizards gave the Cavaliers the most trouble out of everyone in the Eastern Conference. It just so happens that the teams did not cross paths in the playoffs.

If Wall can play the role of lead conspirator in a successful coup d’etat of LeBron James and the Cavaliers it would solidify Wall as a true superstar in the NBA. It would be a nice boost to his resume for best player in franchise history as well.

Win a Championship

This one is obvious. One of the biggest reasons Unseld is considered the best player in franchise history is because he was the best player on the only team to win a championship in franchise history.

If Wall throws his name in that conversation, he leap frogs everyone who had the edge on him in the best of the best series, especially considering the superteam craze that has taken the NBA by storm.

Next: Wizards 2017 Season Review: Otto Porter

With Wall turning 27 in September, he has plenty of time to reach these milestones, but knowing the competitor he is, he wants to reach them sooner rather than later.

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