4 Washington Wizards that could be on next year’s SI Top 100 list
By Ethan Smith
John Wall
This one’s kind of cheating. Wall is a previous mainstay of the Top 100 list, rising as high as 13th overall in 2016 and 2018. If healthy, John Wall would definitely be on the Top 100 list. He’s a top-30 player at the least. If you disagree, fight me.
Wall played only 32 games last season and is expected to play even fewer (if any) this season. But even while (presumably) hobbled by the injuries that would end his season prematurely, Wall still proved he was one of the NBA’s best. In just 32 games, Wall had 10 double-doubles, including a 40-point, 14-assist performance in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Wall had two other 30+ point double-doubles last season; he went for 36 and 11 in a win over the Houston Rockets, and then dropped 34 points while dishing out 13 assists in an overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.
Wall put up some gaudy numbers, the best of his short season, against three of the NBA’s best teams. When the spotlight is on him, he steps up, and the spotlight will certainly be on him once he returns to the floor. With supermax money coming his way, everyone is itching to see what Wall will look like post-injury.
The NBA is better when he’s on the court blowing by defenders on the fast break. Hopefully, we all get to start seeing that again sooner than later.