The Washington Wizards should get John Wall on the court this season, and it has nothing to do with making the playoffs.
The word from the Washington Wizards and John Wall, alike, has been consistent: we won’t be seeing him return to action this NBA season. The Wizards have said since before the season began that they’re in no rush to bring Wall back and have no issue if he misses the entire season. The point guard has been sidelined since December 2018 after rupturing his Achilles while rehabbing from a previous Achilles procedure.
Making sure Wall is healthy before he returns is the priority number one as it should be. And while John Wall has been setting Twitter ablaze with mere pregame dunks all season long, he insists that he’s still not where he wants to be in order to return to the court.
Of course, Wall should not come back until he is absolutely comfortable and cleared to do so. The Wizards can’t afford to rush him back before he’s ready at the risk of another injury. He’s too valuable, and his paychecks are too big, for that to happen again.
But there are only so many full-speed practices and pregame dunk package displays we can see before it becomes apparent that Wall is at least close to a return. Assuming he can get all the way back, the WIzards need to give John Wall some minutes in late-season games.
With a murderous March schedule coming up and the razor-thin playoff chances getting even thinner with every additional loss, the Wizards will probably be playing for next year before too long. And next year will be all about John Wall.
Actually the Wizards should be more inclined to play Wall after they’ve been eliminated from the playoffs, not in order to propel them there. And here’s why—four reasons the Washington Wizards should bring back John Wall this season.