Washington Wizards: John Wall and the Newest Additions to the Youth Movement

The 2010-2011 NBA season renewed hope in a city devastated by the actions of former star Gilbert Arenas, later deemed Gun Gate. 

No. 1 pick John Wall gave new excitement to the fans, and the blockbuster trade of Arenas to the Orlando Magic closed the book on the Gun Gate era, allowing Wall to fully embrace the role of savior to the franchise.

Fellow rookie Jordan Crawford rose to prominence among Wizards fans with his don't-back-down attitude and playmaking abilities in the second half of the season when Wall and Nick Young were out or slowed by injuries.  These two players made the Wizards the first team in NBA history to have two rookies get triple-doubles in the same season.  While they have proven to be key pieces to the rebuilding process, it all started at the top with ownership of the team being sold by the Pollin family.

New owner Ted Leonsis added to the positive environment change with his ideals of building up young talent through the draft and bringing in players who exuded hard work and a commitment to both ends of the court.  GM Ernie Grunfeld stayed the course during the 2011 NBA Draft, adding Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton and Shelvin Mack to the already young nucleus on the roster.  

These three rookies exemplified the ideals that Leonsis bestowed upon the team and added versatility and defensive toughness to a roster that had been lacking those aspects for quite some time.  As the lockout rages on in full force, now is the perfect time to look ahead to the future and see how these players' roles will be defined.  

Everything Revolves Around John Wall

BREAKOUT: The title of John Wall's new Reebok campaign is exactly what everyone is expecting from the young phenom next season.

Wall has been busy this summer showing off his new-found jump shot and freak athleticism as he's toured the country playing in countless player-sponsored lockout games. All of this after coming off a rookie campaign where he averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists per game despite playing at less than 100 percent for much of the season.  

His performance in the All-Star game's Rookie Challenge game where he totaled a record 22 assists, winning game MVP honors, showed that he was well on his way to becoming a household name.    

Year No. 2 of the John Wall Era will test not only his physical skills, but most importantly his poise and leadership on and off the court.  Ted Leonsis has banked his trust on Wall to be the young superstar leader of the team much like Alex Ovechkin is for Leonsis' other team, the Washington Capitals.  

As the point guard, Wall will direct the offense—looking to create for others—but ultimately will be relied on to take the big shots in big moments, until the young guys step in and learn their roles on the teams.  

Through losing, injury and now the lockout, Wall has exuded a positive attitude and impeccable work ethic that has instilled hope within the team and among the fans.  Finally, there is a bright light for a city that hasn't had much to cheer for since its lone championship as the Washington Bullets in 1978.

The team's success or failure ultimately falls on Wall and how he can influence this new crop of rookies and incorporate them into the fold for next season and the future.  

Jan Vesely: Substance over Flash

Jan Vesely, the European version of Blake Griffin? Or is Blake Griffin the American version of Jan Vesely?

Only time will tell.  

What we do know is that the 6'11" forward from the Czech Republic picked No. 6 overall is full of potential, having won the FIBA Europe's Young Men's Player of the Year Award in 2010.  He became a fan favorite in Europe with his electrifying dunks and agile court movements for a near 7-footer, and he shot up the draft boards subsequently.  

While many fans like to point out the team's failed history in drafting European talent (Oleksiy Pecherov), Vesely has the motor and determination to contribute on the defensive end and rebounding that will translate into him being a much more complete player at the highest level of basketball.    

In order for him to earn playing time, he will have to prove his versatility by plugging in at both forward positions and—at times—even switching over to center if need be.  While he has the speed and athleticism to create plays against most 4s, he will need to add bulk to his slight frame in order to body up larger players in the post when boxing out for rebounds and establishing a post game.  

Hopefully his confidence and swagger can rub off on the extremely talented-but-lazy Andray Blatche. Vesely provides the team with another option at power forward to push Blatche into putting in the effort year-round or being kicked to the curb.  

Vesely is far from a finished product and will benefit from working with coaches year round to develop his shooting and ball handling skills.  This will allow him to be a dual threat to stretch the floor and run the fast break or create mismatch problems down low in the post.  We all know that he can dunk with the best of them and fill up the highlight reel. However, in order for him to carve a niche in this league, he will have to do all the small intangibles that don't always reflect on the top 10 plays.  

Luckily, the lockout doesn't have much of a negative effect, as he can still work out and practice with his old team until the labor dispute is resolved.  

Chris Singleton: 3 and D

Chris Singleton has the ability to be a bigger, more athletic version of Bruce Bowen.  Standing 6'9" with long arms, great athleticism and size, Singleton is the prototypical build for the wing in the NBA.  Widely regarded as the best lock-down defender in the draft class, his role on the team is pretty clear cut.  

His ability to guard four positions will see him earning minutes across the depth chart depending on the defensive matchups presented game in and game out. However, his offensive game—which is considered his weakness—is something he has been working on over the course of the lockout as he has been competing with other pros while taking online classes at FSU to finish his degree.  

I see Singleton as the steal of this draft with his strengths being sorely needed on a team lacking true, gritty defenders at the guard and wing positions.  With his size and athleticism, he has the tools to become the LeBron-stopper that our team sorely missed after being bounced by his Cavaliers three years in a row.  

While Bruce Bowen is the type of player I could see him emulating right now, if he develops his offensive game beyond simple catch-and-shoot, his ceiling could be a young Ron Artest minus the crazy and champagne drinking at halftime.  

Unless we re-sign Nick Young in free agency whenever the season starts, Singleton is our only true 3 on the roster and should earn significant playing time alongside the back court pairing of John Wall and Jordan Crawford.  

I see the Wizards giving Rashard Lewis the start at the 3 to start the season, but since he doesn't factor much into our team's future, Singleton should be able to sop up a good amount of minutes in reserve roles.  

Shelvin Mack: Toughness, Consistent Back-Up to John Wall

What more can be said about the tenacious point guard from Butler who helped lead his Bulldogs to two straight NCAA Finals, the second time with him as the team’s main leader and scoring option?

He’s risen to the occasion on the biggest stages of college basketball and his leadership ability and intangibles will be a welcome addition to this young squad. 

Coming onto a team where our primary backup was a career D-Leaguer in Mustafa Shakur, Mack will provide a spark off the bench with his NBA range three-point shooting and tough defense at both guard positions. 

While Mack doesn’t possess some of the true point guard skills necessary to execute offenses at the next level, he won’t be required to do much with our point guard of the future, John Wall, running the show for the majority of each game.  Mack is the quintessential player to fit into Leonsis’ goals for the team moving forward.  He will push people in practice and compete non-stop to earn his keep. Ultimately, he will make the team better off for it. 

At 6’3" with a long wingspan and unlimited range, he’s been compared to a bigger version of Derek Fisher.  However, I could see him being a Ben Gordon-esque player off the bench providing an instant scoring punch, but in this case, having the strength to body up most point guards at the other end of the court as well. 

With Wall getting the bulk of the minutes at the point guard slot, expect Mack to rotate between both guard positions, probably taking away minutes from recent fan favorite Othyus Jeffers.