Getty Washington Wizards guard John Wall
John Wall is working his way back to the game he loves. Over the weekend, he was seen playing one-v-one with some of the Wizards’ staff.
From pregame: John Wall dunks, looks impressive. #RepTheDistrict
The Wizards are taking a patient approach to bringing back Wall. Scott Brooks said prior to the season that there was a good chance that Wall “misses most of the season, if not all the season.”
“We’re going to be patient,” Brooks said. “He’s not going to play until he’s ready 100 percent and he understands that, but what I love about John is he’s going to fight us over.”
There remains no definitive timeline on Wall’s return to the court. Wall obviously wishes he could be out there on the court, though with the team taking a patient approach, don’t expect him back anytime soon. While you would think the mental aspect would be difficult, Wall says he has that handled.
“The mental aspect is easy for me. I’ve been through injuries before…I wish I didn’t have the problems I’ve had,” Wall said prior to the season. “I came back early from some injuries before and it made other things worst, so my job now is to make sure I’m body is fully healthy with no injuries so I’m not compensating and hurting something else.”
Wall remains engaged with the team while he works his way back to the court, helping the team’s point guards and other position players pick up Brooks’ system. “I’m basically like a coach this year,” Wall said back in October.
Bradley Beal Is The Biggest All-Star Snub
Beal is the only player in the history of the NBA to score over 28 points per game and not receive an invitation to the All-Star game.
“I’m a little pissed off about it,” Beal said after finding out he wasn’t an All-Star. “I know how I am, [so] I was kind of expecting it, honestly. It’s disrespectful, but the real ones know [I’m an All-Star]. I’ll just keep competing. I’m going to try to get my team in the playoffs for sure.”
Beal’s agent, Mark Bartenstein, went further into why Beal was robbed of the selection, telling ESPN that Beal was penalized for staying with a rebuilding team.
“He chose not to (leave), and instead stayed the course — only to not be recognized as an All-Star because his team hasn’t won enough games when, in fact, the Wizards have exceeded expectations,” Bartelstein said.
“It can’t be just about the gross numbers of wins and losses. It has to be, ‘What is your impact on the game?’ And so I think the coaches are sending a horrible message to players, that if you want to be loyal and go through the tough times in your organization, you’re not going to be an All-Star in those tough times.”
Beal understood that the team was not going to be a contender when he signed his contract extension before the season. The Wizards are in the midst of a rebuilding year, though they pulled off a few upsets, including wins over the Celtics and Nuggets. The team has been one of the better offensive units in the league, yet defense has been another story.
“I really don’t know,” Teammate Thomas Bryant said about why Beal wasn’t selected. “If you look at what he’s done for this program, look at what he’s done for his teammates – individually, me – as much as he’s done, his hard work, his play, day-in and day-out. This should be unexplainable. He should be a shoo-in. It’s just not right.”
Beal is averaging 28.7 points, 6.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game. He’s sporting a career-high 22.7 player efficiency rating.