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Washington Wizards 2016-17 Season Predictions: John Wall Will Be An All-NBA Defender Again

By Ben Mehic

Nov 17, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) attempts to steal the ball from Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 115-86. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) attempts to steal the ball from Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 115-86. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards star John Wall was on the All-Defensive Second Team in 2015 and will regain that focus this season under Scott Brooks.

At every level of basketball – from pickup to the pros – the offensive side of the floor is glorified. Almost everyone can agree that playing with the ball and shooting is a lot more fun than playing without it and defending.

Nowadays, with the way the league has evolved, players have been asked to become proficient at both ends of the ball – not just one.

The days of being just a defender or just a scorer are over. If you can’t do both, then you likely won’t get much playing time on winning teams.

Still, those who put a strong emphasis on defending give themselves a better chance to be successful. While the casual fans typically don’t care about the gritty defensive players, those are the players that earn the respect of their coaches.

Perhaps more than any other position, point guards have to be on their p’s and q’s defensively.

Virtually every team in the NBA has a competent point guard.

There is no such thing as taking a day off for that position. Russell Westbrook is coming to town and so is Chris Paul. Then the next week, Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving might stop by.

There’s a constant pressure for point guards to produce now that we’re in the Golden Age, so to speak.

The Washington Wizards are lucky enough to have one of the point guards that others are certainly not prepared to defend on a nightly basis.

John Wall, who’s possibly the fastest point guard in the league, has become a perennial All-Star. His quickness, coupled with his ridiculous court-vision makes him almost impossible to guard.

Given that he’s put up 20 points and 10 assists per game this past season, we can almost expect Wall to drop outstanding numbers on the box score. If his jump shot continues to improve, Wall could potentially reach a level of unguardability that only a handful of his peers have.

What makes Wall so much more intriguing, though, are his physical tools and how dangerous he could become defensively.

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Under Randy Wittman, the Wizards had built a reputation of being a strong defensive team.

Anchored by two imposing big men in Marcin Gortat and Nene, the Wizards focused on stopping the opposition from getting easy baskets and grinding their way to victory.

Washington made the switch to small-ball to accommodate their backcourt’s need for spacing this past season.

Paul Pierce gave the team a lift by playing the four during the playoffs, so the Wizards’ brass decided to make the switch permanently by slotting Jared Dudley at the spot.

The Wizards’ top-10 defense vanished almost instantly. Their physical nature of play was gone. They became a weak, undermanned team who essentially prayed the opposing team missed more shots than they did.

Washington’s identity was no where to be found and Wittman was fired as a result, even though he was forced into making the switch to the new pace-and-space offense.

Scott Brooks wants the Washington Wizards to regain that focus on defense, and the team signed the necessary pieces this off-season for them to do exactly that.

Gortat and Markieff Morris helped the Wizards become a top-10 defensive team during the second half of last season.

Morris, a physical but versatile player, replaced Dudley, who was better suited to playing the four position in spurts rather than full-time.

Ian Mahinmi, who was a top-10 defender last year with the Indiana Pacers, will give the team a much-needed rim protector.

The Mahinmi addition, plus the return of the starting frontcourt, should be enough for the Wizards to at least become more imposing defensively.

Ultimately, though, it’s on their star player to set the tone, just like he did in 2015.

Wall made the All-Defensive Second Team in 2015, but didn’t live up to expectations defensively during the following season.

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Without a frontcourt to rely on for help and banged up knees, Wall wasn’t able to commit himself defensively like he did in the past.

Having to carry the offensive load all by himself certainly didn’t help either.

But unlike other point guards, we already have a good idea of what kind of player Wall could be defensively.

He’s done it in the past. He’s shut players down on the biggest stage the NBA has to offer.

For him, it’s a matter of making the commitment every single night and not taking plays off against players who appear to be targets on paper.

Brooks, a former point guard himself, will hold Wall accountable for the team’s defense. As the star player, it’s going to be on Wall to create that defense-first mindset for his teammates.

The stars that don’t excel on that end of the floor usually struggle to get the rest of their teammates to buy in.

Wall, 25, still has a ton of untapped potential, and while most will focus on his offensive improvement, it’s the defense that will separate him from the others.

This season, Wall should get back to playing a level of defense that will earn him recognition at the end of the year.

Next: Wizards' Options If John Wall Misses Time

The ingredients for him to become an All-NBA defender are there. New coach that stresses defense? Check. Teammates that can defend? Check. Health? Check. If things go according to plan and no major setbacks occur, Wall will get back to locking opposing point guards down very soon.

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