Could John Wall Become the Greatest Washington Wizard of All Time?
The Washington Wizards have still not seen the best of John Wall, yet he has shown enough to suggest that he has the potential to go down as the greatest player to wear their uniform. After three false starts, he has finally emerged as the player many hoped he would become, the driving force behind this franchise making it out of the first round of the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1979.
At just 24, Wall has time to grow, and there is no doubt that he will only get better as he continues to develop his jump shot and his ability to control a game, two skills which will make him the complete point guard on offense.
His quickness and agility make him among the most dangerous players going to the hoop in the NBA today. If he could nail down a consistent pull-up jumper, the defense would have to guard him a step closer, which would make his driving game even tougher to stop.
It would not be a case of him shooting more, he's just have to make those shots when he gets them, forcing the defense to guard, and respect, his jump shot. The result would be the help defense having to step up even more than now, or risk Wall waltzing into the lane to finish an easy lay-up attempt.
That is all in the future, a sign of where Wall's game could end up at its peak.
As it is, he attracts plenty of defensive attention, opening up the floor for his teammates, allowing him to dish to them in open positions and rack up 10 assists per game this season.
On the defensive end, his explosiveness, speed and quick hands make him one of the tougher perimeter defenders to beat in the game today. He can gamble to force turnovers, close out quickly to create tough jump shots and has the length to contest anything the opposition puts up. This season more than ever before, his defensive play has really come to the fore.
After creating a miss, he is gone again, tearing up the court in transition, so often with his partner in crime, Bradley Beal. His quickness up the court is undoubtedly his best asset, something at which he could possibly claim to be the very best. With the speed and footwork to go to the hoop, he is a threat scoring in transition, while his vision and passing game make him a threat as a creator, too.
In a few years, he could well be the complete player.
The problem with what sets him apart, his athleticism, is that he will have to adapt his game to remain elite for a longer period of time. As you get older, you invariably lose speed, explosiveness and the ability to change direction on a dime.
It is something we see all the time in multiple sports. The key for those who go on to craft lengthy careers at the top is usually that they develop a strong skill set to complement their athleticism.
Wall, to an extent, has this. He has passing, is strong going to the hoop and possesses an ever-improving defensive game.
But so much of that stems from his athleticism. His quickness going to the hoop attracts defenders, which in turn opens up his teammates. Likewise, he would not get the same looks going to the hoop without his explosiveness, while his speed plays a huge role in his defensive ability.
Yet he could cover for all of that by developing a consistent pull-up jump shot in the way that Chris Paul has. By doing that, the defense has to guard him closer and gives him options without having to rely only on athletic ability.
If he could add that aspect to his game at the same time and retain his explosiveness, he would become one of the toughest players to stop in the NBA. It would help him remain more effective for a longer time too.
The past two years have seen him really develop. Prior to that, he held all sorts of potential, but injuries hampered his play and he struggled to consistently be the player many had hoped he would be.
Undoubtedly the pieces that have surrounded him over the last two seasons have helped. It is easier for a passer to look good when he has players making good cuts, as it is easier to defend well when you are part of a group in which everyone is doing their job.
But he has been the driving force behind it all. His energy, quickness and threat have been pivotal in the Wizards' 4-0 sweep of the Toronto Raptors in the first round of this year's playoffs.
He has now taken them to the second round of the playoffs two seasons in a row. Their 2014-15 regular-season record of 46-36 is also the best the franchise has had since that 1979 team went 54-28 en route to the NBA Finals.
When looking at the great Wizards, or Bullets, it is the men of those 1970s teams who stand out as being the ones to beat. That 1979 team, along with the 1978 one that won the championship, was full of legends such as Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Bob Dandridge and Phil Chenier.
Those four all rate among the best to ever play for the franchise, with Unseld and Hayes in particular standing out as the two leading contenders for best ever.
Unseld, the outlet-pass king who was a strong rebounder and arguably the key member of those strong teams, remains the only Wizard or Bullet to win either of the NBA MVP or Finals MVP awards. His value to his teams goes past his statistics, with his strong and accurate outlet pass giving his team such an advantage in transition.
Hayes had a similarly huge influence, always being among the league leaders in minutes played, while forming arguably the best frontcourt in the league at the time alongside Unseld. He was an effective scorer and a dominant rebounder who was selected to three All-NBA first teams.
They, along with All-Star-caliber players in Dandridge and Chenier, formed the basis of one of the dominant teams of their era. Between 1969 and 1979, they never failed to reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
That is the standard for Wall and his team to reach. Of course, he is not there yet. But there has been more than enough on show to suggest that he could have as big an influence on the franchise as the men of 30-40 years ago did.
Whether his teams have the same successes as those of the 1970s is not completely relevant. They were strong teams with two all-time greats and two other All-Stars. It is rare to see teams like that in the modern game, with most usually having a Big Three and at best a fading All-Star or a rising star.
Even with some of the super teams that have been created in recent years, Washington hardly has the luring power teams like the Heat, Lakers and Celtics have.
There are pieces there, though. Beal has the potential to develop into an elite scorer, and Otto Porter is starting to find his feet in the league. If they can get themselves a quality big man for the future, they could very well compete for a championship.
But Wall's greatness should not be determined by this. It is his influence on his team, the way he plays, that should determine his standing, rather than simply whether his team won or not. He could play poorly in a win and great in a loss, but it is the process that is important in these types of arguments, not the overall outcome.
Yet if he keeps on improving and stays with the Wizards, there is no doubt he could end up at the level where he can compete for a championship. Even his form in this year's playoffs so far would suggest that this is a team that could topple anyone when things go its way.
He has the ability to keep getting better. Whether he goes down as the franchise's greatest ever will depend on how much better.
All statistics sourced from Basketball-Reference.com.
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