Report Card Grades for John Wall's Return from Injury

For the first time this season, the Washington Wizards got to watch John Wall run the point for their offense when he returned for Washington's 93-83 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

"

John Wall enters for Wiz at 4:56 of the first, to a standing ovation.

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) January 13, 2013"

In the end, it was just good to see Wall back on the floor. Whether or not he looked pristine in his first few minutes of the season is beside the point, as it's going to take a few weeks for him to be anywhere near playing at 100 percent.

Adding such a compelling point guard to such a woeful offensive team is going to take some getting used to, and it's going to take some time for him to get reacquainted with real-time game situations.

They've got to get used to a guy who is as capable as Wall is as a passer, and learn to expect to get the ball in almost any situation.

While they weren't all feeling it Saturday night, there was a nice vibe among the team when Wall was in the game, which is a great sign.

In the end, he had a fine game, but there are very obvious areas where he can improve, as expected.

Wall finished the game with 14 points, two rebounds and four assists. A solid night overall.

Shooting: C

John Wall is, historically speaking, a pretty poor shooter. He's shown flashes of shooting well in the past, but he's become streaky at best, especially from the three-point line.

As far as his jumper goes, there was nothing exceptionally unexpected from Wall in this one.

"

John Wall grabbed a rebound, dribbled up the floor & took a line drive jumper that ricocheted off the rim #wizards

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 13, 2013"

He was 5-of-11 from the field in the game, missing two shots badly, and just one of the five that went in was a jumper.

The first time around, he clanged one off the front of the rim, and the second time along, he hit the right side of the rim, then complained to a nearby referee that he was fouled, failing to get back on defense.

There was also the case in the third quarter when he sped into the lane and missed a layup. The most important thing there, however, was that he was able to get into the lane so easily.

For the time being, he needs to take the negative in stride, as the calls will come in due time.

Athleticism: B+

There were reports along the way that John Wall had gotten fat. Nobody put the fella on a scale, but the pictures that leaked did enough to start the world abuzzing.

"

Oh so John Wall is fat now? Sweet. Didnt expect anything less twitpic.com/bte2yo

— Christian R. Smith I (@daCPlanet) January 8, 2013"

Did he look fat and out of shape against the Hawks Saturday night? Not really.

He was able to turn the corner a few times and get to the rim, drawing a foul in the process, and he was able to show off the same old speed we've always seen.

Wall displayed all the athleticism necessary in the fourth quarter, getting to the rim on three straight possessions and helping the Wizards hold off the Hawks in the process.

The only thing that really seemed to deter him throughout the game, and mostly in the first half, was the quarter-step step that he has yet to regain.

Whether it be failing to finish on a dunk when trailing Bradley Beal or failing to get a chase-down block in transition on Lou Williams, there were a few instances where his speed and athleticism did fall a bit short.

He will eventually get his wind and legs back under him, however.

Passing: B-

John Wall's passing was on point Saturday night—there's no doubt about that. The only problem is the rest of his team wasn't ready for the zip that he's able to put on his passes.

Twice in the first half, Wall saw seemingly routine passes carom out of bounds, as both Emeka Okafor and Trevor Booker allowed Wall passes to go off their fingertips and slip past them off the court.

As time passes, these occurrences will be fewer and farther between, but for now, they're something that Wall is going to have to deal with.

Wall would have ended up with a flashier assist total, but the Wizards' offense still isn't used to having a competent point guard running things, so it's excusable for the time being.

His first assist, however, was as pretty as we remember them.

"

John Wall collects his 1st assist, finding Bradley Beal trailing for an emphatic, 1-handed, cock-back dunk. #wizards up 27-17.

"

"— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 13, 2013"

Wall was able to finish up with four assists and three turnovers, not great and not terrible for a 21-minute stint.

Defense: B-

As Wall returned with a lot of athleticism still intact, he was able to come in and show that he is still going to be the very good defender that he has been since he came into the league.

Whether he was rotating out to the three-point line, switching on the pick-and-roll and doing his best with the bigger defender or just fighting his way through a screen, he was looking extremely active and like he knew exactly where he needed to go.

There was a bit of a concern that his—ahem—expanded waistline, was going to slow him down and prevent him from defending well until he got into shape. Well, he looked just fine Saturday night.

Moving forward, he should get that lost quarter-step back, so there should be absolutely no concern about his defense for the time being.

Leadership: A+

As well as he could, Wall was able to assert himself as the leader of this Wizards team when he was on the floor. 

The group of guys he was playing with seemed to be ready to play in his wake, and let him have complete control of the team.

What really needs to happen with this team, however, is Bradley Beal must learn to step aside when Wall is on the floor.

As Beal has become one of the team's primary ball-handlers over the past few months, he's gotten comfortable with the ball in his hands, insisting upon creating for his teammates, as he should.

With Wall on the floor, he can become a part of the offense, rather than one of the co-leaders, as Michael Lee pointed out:

"

Not sure if Bradley Beal understands that with John Wall on the floor he DOESN'T have to create for other people right now #wizards

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 13, 2013"

Of course, Wall's leadership came through in the end. As Washington was letting the game slip away late in the fourth, Wall took over and ended up getting to the rim for three straight layups, followed by a fast-break, behind-the-back pass to Trevor Ariza.

He finished this game for the Wizards. Without him, they probably would have shot their way to a loss.