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Should John Wall Have Made All-NBA Second Team?

By Ryan Eugene

Apr 16, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots a layup as Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince (12) and guard Dennis Schroder (17) look on during the fourth quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Washington Wizards won 114 - 107. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots a layup as Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince (12) and guard Dennis Schroder (17) look on during the fourth quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Washington Wizards won 114 - 107. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards point guard John Wall was honored for his best individual season with a spot on the All-NBA Third Team on Thursday. But is Wall deserving of second team honors?

Coming off a season where he averaged 23.1 points and 10.7 assists, both career-highs, John Wall has his sights set on individual awards.

He’s a fringe MVP candidate. He made the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the fourth consecutive season. He could make an All-Defensive team for the second time in his career, and he was on the All-NBA Third Team.

Still, this honor seems like another slight to Wall. He’s been wanting to make an All-NBA team for seven seasons, and when he finally does, it still feels like he’s being under appreciated.

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As great as Wall’s season was, there was no way he was going to make the first team. The guards were locked in halfway through the season.

Russell Westbrook, became the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double. He also led the league in scoring, was second in assists, and led a team that was tied for last in three-point percentage (32.7%) to an impressive 47 win season.

James Harden, in his first season as point guard, led the league in assists, was second in scoring, and exceeded almost everyone’s expectations by leading the Rockets to 55 wins and the third best record in the league.

Most years, Westbrook and Harden would be clear MVP winners, and this season they both were overly deserving of All-NBA First Team.

Because of the injuries to Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry, the two guard spots for the second team All-NBA came down to three players, Steph Curry, Isaiah Thomas, and John Wall.

Steph Curry, coming off back-to-back MVP campaigns, took a lesser role this season with the arrival of 2014 MVP Kevin Durant.

Curry’s points decreased five points per game compared to last season, and he had an effective field goal percentage of 58% (down from 63%).

For much of the first half of the season, Curry wasn’t himself. Of course it’s hard for a superstar to grow accustomed to playing alongside another superstar, but many thought the transition would be easier. Curry and Durant simply complimented each other too well.

There were up and downs throughout the season, and the team had lofty goals after winning an NBA record 73 games the year before.

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Still, even without Durant for 19 games with his MCL sprain, the team won 67 games. Curry was exceptional in Durant’s absence, and led the team on a season long 14 game win streak.

He looked like the player we’d been hoping to see all season long. Thus, he had to make the All-NBA Second Team. He was great, and his team was greater.

For most voters, the last guard spot on the second team came down to Thomas and Wall.

Thomas vs. Wall

Isaiah and Wall both had remarkable seasons. Isaiah was crowned “King of the Fourth” for his amazing point totals in the final period. Wall was third in double doubles amongst non-centers, and had more double doubles at the All-Star break than all other East All-Star guards combined.

Thomas led the Celtics to 53 wins and the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Considering he started the previous season as the sixth man, it is even more miraculous.

He was one of the most popular players in the league for a variety of reasons. For one, he was playing great basketball for a premier franchise. Secondly, the fact that he’s 5’9″ (or smaller) helped his case.

At 28.9 ppg, he was slightly behind Harden for second most points per game, and shot an above average 38% from three.

But all the doubters will point to his defensive abilities as reason to not include him on the second team.

For many teams, including the Wizards in the playoffs, part of the offensive strategy was to go at Isaiah. His on ball and help defense left the Celtics exposed on many occasions, but luckily Boston has other guards to take on the defensive burden.

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Wall’s defense this season was not on the level of his second team All-Defense campaign in 2015, but he did play inspired defense when it mattered. He gambled on steals a lot, but players that lead the league in steals take chances.

John Wall averaged 2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. The steals tied him for most with Draymond Green, while the blocks tied him for most among point guards.

Looking at defensive win shares, an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player because of his defense, Wall ranks fourth among point guards, while Thomas ranks 26th

He became so good at chase down blocks, that it has become expected, in the LeBron James variety. If Wall and an opposing player with the ball are headed to the rim, I’d bet my money on the block every time.

Although this play came in the playoffs, and thus didn’t contribute to his award status, it encapsulates the type of effort and ability Wall showed on defense throughout the season.

Looking at defensive box plus minus, Thomas ranked as the second worst guard in the league (at -3.3), only ahead of Nick Young.

I’d be bias if I didn’t point out how much better Thomas rated on offense than Wall and Thomas ranked ahead of Wall in every major category of shooting and scoring.

Yet, a point guard’s job is to get the team in a rhythm and make sure his cohorts are thriving. Wall did exactly that.

Bradley Beal had his best season this year. Otto Porter had his best season this year. Marcin Gortat averaged a double-double at age 33.

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So much of their success and the team’s was a product of the success of Wall.

During the regular season, the Wizards were fifth in points per game, third in field goal percentage, and eighth in three-point percentage. The Wizards were ranked ahead of Boston is almost every offensive category.

Of course, Boston was ranked above Washington in almost every defensive category.

Looking at the voting results, the vote wasn’t close at all. Thomas finished with 111 more points than Wall, and 52 more second place votes.

Additionally, when looking back at the storylines of this season, it feels like the national media and fanbase will greatly remember Thomas scoring outbursts over Wall’s 23 and 11 season. It is a “scorer’s league” after all.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote about why he chose Thomas over Wall for the final spot on in this article. In it he said:

"A month ago, that belonged to Wall. Going forward, I would still take him over Thomas. He’s a better passer, and massively better on defense. I’m curious to see how the two perform in the postseason.But his shooting cooled a bit in February and parts of March, and he was a culprit in Washington’s collapse on defense after the All-Star break. Meanwhile, Thomas just kept chugging. Dude scores 30 every game on efficient shooting lines, and he is the lifeblood of Boston’s offense."

The fact that Isaiah led his team to the number one seed, while Washington finished fourth hurt Wall’s chances as well. Yes the Wizards finished with one of the best records in the league post January 1, but voters had to look at the entire season. The Wizards famously started 2-8, and Wall couldn’t even play in back-to-backs.

But still, by finishing the season averaging 23.1 points and 10.7 assists, Wall became just the fifth player to do that for a season. Add on the two steals per game and he is the only one.

The fact that Wall excelled in various parts of the game would lead me to selecting him over Thomas for the second team. While Isaiah excelled as a scorer, Wall was fantastic scoring, passing, and defending.

As a Wizards fan, I’d love to see Wall get more recognition, in the form of awards and endorsements., and surely he will. However, this will be more motivation heading into this summer.

Next: Washington Wizards: Top 10 NBA Sidekicks

Wall will have the whole summer to work on his game, as he’s actually healthy. He’ll be motivated next season to prove that he’s the best point guard in the conference, whether he’s already proved it or not.

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