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Rockets' John Wall: 'I Still Think I'm an All-Star' After Injury-Plagued Seasons
April 25, 2021
John Wall may be past his prime at this point of his career thanks in large part to multiple serious injuries, but the Houston Rockets guard still believes he is among the league's best players.
"I still think I'm an All-Star in this league," Wall said, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "I still think I'm a big-time player in this league. In the last two years, there's a lot of talent that came into this league and there's a lot of guys that are still in this league that were talented before I got injured. But I feel like when I'm healthy, I can go against the best of them."
There was a time when the Kentucky product was undoubtedly on the shortlist of the best guards in the league.
He was an All-Star in five straight seasons from 2013-14 to 2017-18 for the Washington Wizards and consistently blew past defenders in the open floor while scoring at a high clip and dishing out assists to set up teammates for success.
Washington went to the playoffs four times in a five-year span with him leading the way, but the No. 1 pick in 2010 has his time with the Wizards cut short by injuries.
Wall played just 32 games in 2018-19 and then missed the entire 2019-20 campaign with an Achilles injury. Even this season, he has dealt with knee, hip and hamstring issues while missing some time and sitting out some games in back-to-back slates.
The 30-year-old is averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for a Houston team that has the worst record in the league at 15-46.
Wall has shown flashes of his former self at times this season even as Houston loses, and he figures to be an important part of the team's rebuilding efforts considering he is under contract through the 2022-23 campaign with a player option that season.
If he can rediscover that form and stay healthier next season, the Rockets could be more competitive in the near future.