After a workout video of John Wall surfaced a few days ago, Washington Wizards fans should be excited.
As we all know, the influence of social media has taken over sports culture over the past few years. Basketball, in particular, has taken center stage with videos of pickup games, weight lifting, and workouts setting Twitter on fire. Some people buy into them while others are unimpressed.
Well, another one of those videos surfaced just a few days ago, this time from Wizards All-Star Point Guard, John Wall. Coming off of a severe Achilles injury over a year and a half ago, it was nice to see an update from Wall as he prepares for his NBA return this winter.
John Wall’s latest workout video is a promising sign for Washington Wizards fans.
While the Wizards struggle in the bubble, Wizards fans couldn’t have asked for a better (and more timely) update from Wall. Far different than what we heard from Wall last time he gave us an update.
Wall is the only player on the court and nobody is defending him, but this video is a promising update on Wall’s rehab progression.
Get Up!
An Achilles injury is one of the worst injuries you can suffer in basketball. Most players that come back from such an injury have lost some burst, some explosiveness, and some athleticism. A lot of guys look a step or two slower or might not be able to get as much lift on a jumper or dunk.
John Wall is a player who has always been known for and relied on his speed and athleticism—making an Achilles injury all the more costly for Wall.
Now, workout videos are not the same as playing 35 minutes on an NBA court. However, a 360 left-handed dunk 16 months removed from injury isn’t something you see in every workout video.
Not only did Wall get up for the dunk with ease, but a 360? Sheesh! Not a lot of people can pull off 360 dunks post Achilles injuries, but hey, Wall is just different.
Seeing him get that type of lift on a dunk is such a beautiful thing. Wall has always been a high flyer, and this video makes it look like he may not have lost much from that perspective.
Bombs Away
John Wall has always been an up and down shooter, but with his added time off, it sounds like he has been able to work on his outside shot. GM Tommy Sheppard has remarked more than once about Wall’s improved shooting.
In Wall’s latest workout video, we finally get to see what Sheppard has been talking about. The thing to note about Wall’s jumpers in the video is not so much that the two shots went in, but more his actual shooting form. It looks a bit more fluid, and on the second attempt, in particular, it seems like his release is quicker than in the past.
John has a bit of a slow set up with his jumper, where he brings the ball down before getting into his lift, which has always been an issue. However, in the video, as we see him run baseline on a catch and shoot, that jumper looks a bit quicker and a bit more sound.
This is not to say that John will return as a 45 percent three-point shooter, but small tweaks like this could pay dividends if he can no longer rely on his speed post-injury.
Final Thoughts
One thing the Wizards have gotten right about Wall’s rehab from the start is not to rush him back. The Wizards front office knew that this was going to be a down year and wanted to focus more on their young prospects. So this gave Wall no reason to rush back until he is absolutely ready.
All of this added time means Wall will be 100 percent healthy for Opening Night 2020 (or whenever next season starts).
And when Wall comes back, he won’t have as big of a burden as he used to. For that, he can thank Bradley Beal.
With Beal running the show now, Wall won’t have to expend all of his energy running the offense. Hopefully, that will translate to better off-ball movement.
Wall’s increased outside shot should help him opposing defenses pay for overcommitting to Beal. With Beal being the focal point of the offense, and especially if they can re-sign Davis Bertans, the floor should open up for Wall when he returns. As a result, his three-point opportunities will increase rapidly. It will just be on him to knock them down.
Hopefully, the catch and shoot in the video is a sign for things to come.
Less responsibility on the offensive end will hopefully lead to a more significant defensive effort from Wall, too. He’s shown that he can be a lockdown All-NBA defender, however, with his workload in years past, his effort before his injury was a bit…lacking. But returning to his 2015 defensive form would go a long way in improving the Wizards’ bottom-tier defense.
All in all, you cannot put too much stock in workout videos, but for John Wall and the Washington Wizards, things look promising.