Washington Wizards: Top 5 takeaways from an AMA with Tommy Sheppard

4. Tommy still believes in his the Washington Wizards’ two stars, and thinks you should too.

There’s a bit of a cloud hanging over D.C. with the absence of John Wall, but the Washington Wizards keep insisting that next year is the year. When he returns from his Achilles injury, the front office seems convinced it will immediately vault us into the same spot as before he went down, hanging around the middle of the playoff pack, with potential to be even better with the young guys we added.

I’m not convinced, personally, but I’m willing to see how it goes to begin the season, and Tommy Sheppard was asked about just this in his AMA. Here’s his response:

"We’re extremely pleased with John’s condition right now, his participation throughout the rehab process has been fantastic. I’ve never seen him this motivated to make a full recovery. We see John scrimmage with the Go-Go, we see him at practice with the Wizards. And while the rust is still there, there’s plenty of signs that point to a full recovery."

We’ve been teased all season, and just recently were told by Sheppard himself that Wall would in fact not be making an appearance this season even if we make a run for the playoffs. It’s a good call as there’s nothing to play for this season with the best prospect being a first round out to the Milwaukee Bucks.

But Sheppard is basically confirming all those insider reports and leaked video footage we’ve seen of John Wall getting back into game shape, and moving at game speed. He’s also been scrimmaging with the G-League affiliate and you’d have to imagine Tommy himself has been there to watch his prized player and likes what he sees.

With that in mind, his response to a question about whether or not Bradley Beal was the star to build around went like this:

"Bradley Beal’s one of the ELITE two-guards in the NBA and an obvious All-Star snub. We feel with the return of John Wall, it will open up the court even more for Bradley. We can’t wait to see them back on the floor again, back together next season."

So there you have it, the Washington Wizards will be staying the course with these two stars. The House of Guards shall continue, and Beal and Wall will be the backcourt duo of the past and the future in Capital One Arena. For better or for worse.