John Wall's Superstar Journey Continues in the 2015 NBA Playoffs
He just likes using his necessary playoff heroics as an unnecessary reminder that he's still here, journeying deeper and deeper into megastardom, his place among the league's best safer than ever before.
It hasn't always been this way for the Washington Wizards floor general. Not two seasons ago, he was toting the burden of proof, trying to justify a max extension, still seeking to validate himself as a No. 1 pick.
What provocative stat lines, All-Star selections, winning regular-season records and a cogent 2014 second-round playoff push haven't yet said for him, the 2015 postseason is saying now.
Fresh off a 117-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 on Tuesday night, Wall and the Wizards are sitting pretty, heading home with a 2-0 advantage, their second-round ticket basically punched for the second straight year.
In putting Toronto on the ropes, Washington is silencing many of the alarms people like yours truly sounded forever ago. Shoot, those same concerns remained applicable just days ago.
After beginning the regular season 22-8, the Wizards played sub-.500 basketball to close the calendar, going 24-28 en route to posting one of the least convincing 46-36 records ever. Entering their matchup with the Raptors, their first- or second-round elimination became a matter of "when," not "if."
That perception is gradually changing. The Wizards look dangerous—more threatening than they have in some time. Two wins on a postseason stage have that effect.
So too does Wall's play.
Game 1 didn't see Wall dominate with much flair. He shot 5-of-18 from the floor and went just 2-of-7 through the fourth quarter and overtime. The Raptors ran traps when he was orchestrating the offense within half-court sets, against which Wall struggled to make quick decisions. And when he was off the ball, they gave him space, daring him to shoot and hoping he would miss.
Which he did:
Still, the Wizards managed to squeak out a victory on the road, largely thanks to Paul Pierce's time machine. Wall, meanwhile, contributed in other ways, setting up his teammates (85 passes, eight assists), protecting the ball (one turnover) and helping relegate Toronto's starting backcourt into a nonfactor.
Really, Wall's shooting struggles in Game 1 are part of his postseason mystique. He's able to make an impact in other ways: not just as a passer, but as a defender. The Wizards don't piece together a top-five defense during the regular season if their primary lifeline is a serial minus.
Kyle Lowry shot 2-of-10 from the floor in Game 1, and many of those looks came against Wall. Though he was beaten off the dribble and derailed by screens, Wall usually recovered in those situations, ensuring most of Lowry's attempts weren't clean:
This same approach prevailed in Game 2. Wall and the Wizards flanked Lowry off screens, erasing his line of sight and forcing him into some low-percentage looks. While the Raptors offense rallied overall, Lowry finished 3-of-10 from the field, mostly because Wall (and Bradley Beal) smothered him to no end.
In the spirit of never losing his man or sight of the ball, Wall also did this to Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams:
Unlike Game 1, though, Game 2 was not a battle of defense. Even with Lowry struggling in limited action, Toronto's point-piling machine hung 106 points on the Wizards, testing their offensive resolve—the significance of which cannot be lost.
The Wizards were 7-26 when allowing 100 or more points during the regular season. Exploding offensively has never been in their DNA.
But it was in Wall's for Game 2. He torched the Raptors for 26 points and 17 assists on 8-of-16 shooting, setting a franchise record in the process, per The Washington Post's Michael Lee:
As the NBA folks at TNT pointed out, it was a performance worthy of esteemed company:
And some incredibly hot takes, per CBSSports.com's Zach Harper:
Wall absolutely took over after the first quarter, going for a combined 14 points and 11 assists through the second and third. Impressive still, he picked apart a Toronto defense that wasn't doing anything differently.
The Raptors still tried trapping Wall on a bunch of possessions. They also continued to leave ample room between he and the defender. So it was Wall, not the Raptors, who was the difference.
"The game was an illustration of Wall's growth," wrote SB Nation's Mike Prada. "In the past, he would have taken those jumpers and looked confused by the space he was given. Now, he understands how to use that space to make life easier for himself and his teammates."
To be sure, Wall didn't avoid those looks entirely.
Eleven of his shot attempts came outside the restricted area and paint, of which he hit five. But he reacted differently to the gaps between himself and defenders, using them to his advantage rather than solely shooting or deferring too quickly.
Sometimes he would move into that space, knowing the Raptors would collapse on him by design, leaving guys such as Marcin Gortat with clear rolls to the basket:
On other occasions, he was a tad more patient. He waited for plays to develop, trusting his teammates would create separation and find paths to the hoop:
"When we're both aggressive and our offense is on, we're a tough team to beat," Wall told USA Today's John Bohn of he and Beal following Game 2. "All we can do is be ourselves and play the game the right way. We believe in our ability to score the ball and find our teammates."
More specifically, the Wizards believe in Wall's ability to carry their offense and shoulder their expectations, both in the regular season and playoffs. That much is obvious now, and it has been since at least last year. The ball is always in his hands, and the Wizards don't do anything differently when he's struggling. They don't feature Beal more or play Wall less. They bank on Wall playing his way out of those ruts.
They rely on their superstar to play like a superstar.
And right now, Wall is playing like a superstar.
Even in Game 1, when his shot wasn't falling, he found a way to back the larger cause. With the way he's playing on both ends of the floor, the Wizards are a genuine threat.
Toronto is seeing that now.
Either the Atlanta Hawks or Brooklyn Nets will see it later.
As for Wall himself, this is nothing new. The lights may be brighter and the stakes higher, but his postseason efforts are merely an extension of the player he is, the leader he needs to be and the superstar clout he's long since earned.
Unless otherwise cited, all stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
