Washington Wizards: The Wizards season hinges on John Wall

The Washington Wizards roster has failed to meet expectations this season especially John Wall.

John Wall has been the cornerstone piece for the Washington Wizards for practically the past decade. Unfortunately, the time of Wall being the focal point might be coming to an end.

Currently, this season Wall is averaging 21.5 points, 7.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. On the surface these numbers look good, but his play has been sub-par to say the least.

Watching the 4th quarter of the Dallas Mavericks game made me realize that Wall hasn’t significantly progressed throughout his career. He’s captivated everyone’s eye with his insane agility and quickness, but that seems to be fading.

Don’t get me wrong, Wall is still resoundingly quick, but it seems as though it’s dropped off a little bit. Not to mention that he looks to be the heaviest he’s been in his entire career. It could be the constant partying, but regardless, it’s not a good look.

There were multiple moments where Wall should have passed the ball up to Bradley Beal or someone else towards the end of the 4th quarter. I understand Wall was feeling it at that time as he hit a three to cut the lead to six, but after that it was just one selfish play after another. The Wizards were on the verge of completing an astounding comeback, but failed to do so largely because of his decisions.

Also, can we talk about his shooting for a moment?

If your full-time job is being a professional basketball player, wouldn’t it be a priority to become the best player you possibly could? It sure doesn’t seem like it for Wall.

Over the span of 9 years his shot has not drastically improved. It was one of the biggest concerns NBA critics had when he entered the league in 2010.

It’s hard for me to grasp how this isn’t an area of focus each off-season. Maybe it has been and it’s just something he will never overcome. Nevertheless, it’s hard to watch him shoot, especially beyond the arc.

Shooting 28.6% from distance is unacceptable. At this point he needs to stick to driving to the basket or the mid-range elbow shot that he attempts multiple times per game.

But wait, it doesn’t end there.

This season Wall has averaged his lowest assist total since the 2012-13 season. On top of that,  he’s managed to produced one of the highest turnover rates of his career at 4.0 per game. His assist to turnover ratio is currently 1.90. This is not the number an All-Star point guard should be averaging.

His mentality needs to change. It’s essential for him to be the past first point guard we all knew and loved him to be. The Wizards has other offensive weapons to choose from, but what they don’t have is a leader and someone that can create for the rest of the team.

The only hope of getting back on track is for Wall to start focusing on boosting his assists and becoming a monster on the defensive side. His points will come from steals and quick, easy buckets in transition.

Until Wall can shift his priorities, the team will fail. An insane amount of pressure falls on the man who has been carrying D.C. for quite some time now. He’s at a fork in the road and what direction the Wizards go will be his choice. This is certainly one, if not, the biggest challenges of his career.

To stay up to date on all things Wizards this season, be sure to follow Wiz of Awes throughout the season.