Wizards Need Brilliance from John Wall's Co-Stars to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
John Wall is the undisputed long-term leader of the Washington Wizards.
But he's hurting and in desperate need of assistance with his squad facing a daunting 3-2 series deficit. Veteran forward Paul Pierce and third-year scoring guard Bradley Beal must embrace substitute leadership roles to ease the burden on Washington's hobbled hero.
Wall has carried the torch as the Wizards' franchise face since shortly after he arrived as the top pick in 2010. The two-time All-Star's gritty performance on Wednesday only enhanced that status.
With multiple fractures in his left hand and wrist, the 24-year-old made an unexpected start in Washington's pivotal Game 5 clash with the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks. And the surprises didn't stop at the opening tip. Wall, who had missed the previous three games, logged 37 minutes and overstuffed his stat sheet with 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
"John Wall might not have won a game Wednesday night, but he should've won over just about anyone who ever doubted his motivation as a basketball player, his dedication to his teammates or his commitment to making the Washington Wizards a relevant franchise," wrote Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
More importantly, it sounds like Wall avoided any setbacks with the injury.
"After the game, everything looked good in terms of no swelling. That was a good sign," Wizards head coach Randy Wittman said Thursday, via ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk. "Right now I am anticipating that he will be able to play [in Game 6]."
Wall's first night back was exciting, inspiring and all kinds of productive.
But it wasn't enough to stop the Wizards from suffering a crushing 82-81 loss. Not even another late-game dagger from Pierce could do that.
The Truth's triple pushed Washington to an 81-80 lead, but Atlanta's All-Star center Al Horford provided the night's biggest bucket on a putback layup with 1.9 seconds remaining. When Wall's desperation heave from half court missed its mark, the Wizards fell into a hole that history says is a beast to recover from.
According to WhoWins.com, there have been 272 NBA teams with a 3-2 series lead. Of those teams, 232 have gone on to win the series (85.3 percent).
With the Wizards headed back to the District for Friday's win-or-stay-home Game 6, they can't count on their man being the man.
Without question, Wall will give them everything he possibly can. A guy who's erasing shots at the rim while nursing a broken hand isn't about to take his foot off the accelerator.
"I thought he did well," Beal said of Wall, via Paul Newberry of the Associated Press. "You kind of cringed every time you saw him make a move to the basket and he'd fall, but he's a soldier. He's going to continue to lead us."
From an emotional standpoint, the Wizards can—and probably should—continue to look to Wall for leadership. But their hobbled hero obviously isn't whole, and they can't pretend he is inside the lines.
They'll need to lean even heavier on Beal and Pierce, which won't be easy since both have dramatically elevated their games in the second season.
Pierce understands his role. At 37 years old, it's not a stretch to say he's mastered it.
His voice carries tremendous weight, particularly among opposing fanbases. He drew the ire of the North when he said the Toronto Raptors don't "have the 'It' that makes you worried," in an interview with ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan.
Pierce has been speaking in soundbites ever since. He declared "I called game" when asked whether he had called bank on his buzzer-beater in Game 3 of this round. After his go-ahead bucket late in Game 5, he turned to the Hawks bench and said, "Series," via Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
None of this endears Pierce to opposing fans—and neither do his late-game heroics—but it all serves a purpose. By thrusting himself into the spotlight, he pulls attention away from what opponents should really be worried about: Washington's budding backcourt stars.
With one of those stars slowed by injury, the other has to pick up the slack. Beal, who doesn't yet have 200 regular-season games stored in his career bank, has done an admirable job of trying to do just that.
Always seen as a gifted shooter, he used Wall's absence to push himself outside of his comfort zone and into a featured role. In the three games Wall missed, Beal averaged 23.7 points, 7.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds. Efficiency has been an issue—he's shooting just 39.8 percent in the postseason—but the volume speaks for itself.
Beal's per-game production without Wall is almost identical to the marks posted by Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry en route to the MVP award (23.8 points, 7.7 dimes and 4.3 boards).
That's not to suggest that Beal has suddenly joined Curry and Wall in the NBA's elite ranks. But Beal, who won't turn 22 until late June, might be planting the seeds now to sprout that type of career down the line.
"Washington has over-stretched Beal's ballhandling, but that might be healthy for him in the long run," wrote Grantland's Zach Lowe. "... He might not be able to work the pick-and-roll against a set defense, but slogging through that process now will turn Beal into a vicious secondary ball handler."
Beal has only averaged three assists per game over his career, so he's still in the infancy stages of becoming a playmaker. But he's already showing he brings a lot more to the offensive end than his silky smooth spot-up shooting.
And on the opposite side, he's essentially erased sharpshooter Kyle Korver from Atlanta's offense. The All-Star swingman has been almost silent in this series, averaging just 8.0 points per game and shooting 34.3 percent from deep.
"I hate when he touches the ball, period," Beal said of Korver, via Lee. "It's not just me. Even if he passes it, I hate when the ball is in his hands, period. Whenever he's on the floor, we're aware of where he is."
Beal's accelerated growth has put a triumphant twist on the tragedy of Wall's ill-timed injury. The skills Beal is polishing now could pay major dividends to the Wizards for years to come.
But Washington isn't thinking about the future. The present task is too demanding for this group to look ahead. The challenge for Beal, and to a lesser extent Pierce, is not only to continue their success but to find another level beyond it.
The Wizards' fate rests in their hands, since Wall's marred mitt won't allow him to lead this team on his own.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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