Washington Wizards: keys to the John Wall return game against the Clippers
Tonight, the Los Angeles Clippers travel to DC to take on the Washington Wizards in the most highly anticipated game of the Wizards season, John Wall’s return game. A game that will surely tug at the heartstrings.
The Clippers have not been amazing this season sitting at 14-13 but are doing plenty better than the Wizards who have been far healthier, yet still have a 11-15 record on the season. This game will hopefully be a good one.
The story of the night of course is going to be John Wall and his return to Washington where he spent most of his career up to this point. He will no doubt be receiving a long tribute video tonight.
With that being said, let’s get into the keys to the game for the Washington Wizards.
With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both healthy again, the Wizards will need to stay disciplined on offense.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are some of the best wing defenders in NBA history, this means that any mistakes the Wizards make on offense can quickly turn into two points for the Clippers. They will need to keep their passes crisp and not get too carried away with dribble combos.
They will also need to be more selective with the shot selection, something that has plagued them all season up to this point. Although, some of the more guilty culprits are out tonight with injury, so it may be better contained.
Taking advantage of mismatches should be a major part of the gameplan, although creating them will be difficult with how well rounded the Clippers roster is. Playing through Porzingis is likely the answer here.
The defense for the Washington Wizards needs to vastly improve if they want to win tonight.
The last few games, there have only been three players for the Washington Wizards playing even close to a high level of defense: Deni Avdija, Daniel Gafford, and Jordan Goodwin. This will definitely need to change going forward, but especially facing a team as tough as the Clippers.
Now Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma aren’t bad defensive players by any means, that still doesn’t excuse their play on that end of the floor this season as they have the physical tools to be far greater on that end of the floor.
The final key to the game is to appreciate what John Wall has brought to this franchise.
As a non-shooting guard, there are only so many years left in John Wall’s career. It’s best to appreciate what all he has done for this franchise while he is still in the league. Even if the Wizards don’t win tonight, let’s just appreciate what all Wall has done for this franchise.