My Thoughts on John Wall

[ralph_i_el]

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I have watched hundreds of John Wall games.

You may have heard about his performance last night. 18 pts and 13 assists doesn't really jump out at you as a super dominant game, but honestly this is one of the top 5 games he's ever played. He looked like prime Jason Kidd out there.

Here's the thing about Wall; he controls the ball more than just about any player in the league. He holds the ball for more time than all but a few guys and he makes more passes than all but a few guys.

This means he has to make a TON of decisions every game, and that has always been a weak spot in his game. The main problem with his decision making has been when to drive and when to pull-up, and when to slow down and when to explode. To date, his decision making when it comes to where and when he should try to score has been subpar.

You figure a young guy is going to improve his BBall IQ as he gets older, and that's what we've seen with John. The difference is that he puts that IQ on the line more than any other young player, so as he gets smarter and more consistent it is going to have an absolutely massive impact on his teams performance. People have long been talking about him making "The Jump", and imo that jump is still out there. We have not seen that full power of the Great Wall of Chinatown.

Here is a FACT about Wall. Anyone perimeter player who plays alongside him shoots significantly better from 3. His court vision is insane, and his height/length allow him to make any pass imaginable. He's leading all PG's in steals and blocks.

If he doesn't continue to improve his decision making, the Wizards will not get any better because they depend on him so heavily on offense (unless Beal becomes a superstar)

[Vman23]

As a playmaker and passer, Wall is incredibly underrated. He really does set up his teammates for easy shots and easy 3-point shots. He's as good as anyone in the league at that. He also really forces a fast pace on other teams. He also can be play great defense when he wants. The tools are there to be the best point guard in the league. And he does get better every year.

I do think Wall lacks the scoring abilities to take over games. He's really not even comfortable taking a lot of shots. Its not a big issue for a point guard, he can still get you 18-20 points, but he would never be a true #1 option. The jumper is improved, but he needs to be more consistent.

[ralph_i_el]

As a playmaker and passer, Wall is incredibly underrated. He really does set up his teammates for easy shots and easy 3-point shots. He's as good as anyone in the league at that. He also really forces a fast pace on other teams. He also can be play great defense when he wants. The tools are there to be the best point guard in the league. And he does get better every year.

I do think Wall lacks the scoring abilities to take over games. He's really not even comfortable taking a lot of shots. Its not a big issue for a point guard, he can still get you 18-20 points, but he would never be a true #1 option. The jumper is improved, but he needs to be more consistent.

I agree. His scoring is always going to me important though because when you handle the ball as much as he does, sometimes the right basketball play is going to be for him to shoot. He has to be able to consistently knock down the shot when it's given to him. He's made progress in that regard too. People actually guard him past 18ft now

[Lebron23]

He just needs to be more consistent every game. And Attack the basket ala prime Wade.

[ImKobe]

I realized how good he was when he did my Lakers dirty

remember this insane 360 dunk in transition?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVSmE0ELHEE


He was my favorite player to use on NBA 2K11 (I believe?) when he was a rookie.

[ralph_i_el]

He just needs to be more consistent every game. And Attack the basket ala prime Wade.

Wall is never going to have Wade's finishing power.

Firstly, Wade has an absolutely freakish wingspan. Probably ~2in of reach on Wall
Secondly, he has a combination of strength and craftiness around that rim that we haven't seen in a guard since MJ

I'm not even daring to hope that Wall will be able to attack the rim like Wade. it would be unfair to the league.

[tontoz]

In the first 15 games his performace was pretty weak. His TS was only 50.8% and his turnovers were high. In a 4 game stretch he had 20 turnovers.

He was one of the league leaders in long 2 attempts last season and shot them badly. Of the top 30 in attempts only Josh Smith shot them worse.

Last night we saw how wall can play when he takes care of the ball and doesn't take a lot of bad shots. Hopefully he will start playing like this more than once a month.

[WallIn]

When he slows down and cuts down on turnovers, like yesterday, he's a joy to watch.

[chocolatethunder]

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I have watched hundreds of John Wall games.

You may have heard about his performance last night. 18 pts and 13 assists doesn't really jump out at you as a super dominant game, but honestly this is one of the top 5 games he's ever played. He looked like prime Jason Kidd out there.

Here's the thing about Wall; he controls the ball more than just about any player in the league. He holds the ball for more time than all but a few guys and he makes more passes than all but a few guys.

This means he has to make a TON of decisions every game, and that has always been a weak spot in his game. The main problem with his decision making has been when to drive and when to pull-up, and when to slow down and when to explode. To date, his decision making when it comes to where and when he should try to score has been subpar.

You figure a young guy is going to improve his BBall IQ as he gets older, and that's what we've seen with John. The difference is that he puts that IQ on the line more than any other young player, so as he gets smarter and more consistent it is going to have an absolutely massive impact on his teams performance. People have long been talking about him making "The Jump", and imo that jump is still out there. We have not seen that full power of the Great Wall of Chinatown.

Here is a FACT about Wall. Anyone perimeter player who plays alongside him shoots significantly better from 3. His court vision is insane, and his height/length allow him to make any pass imaginable. He's leading all PG's in steals and blocks.

If he doesn't continue to improve his decision making, the Wizards will not get any better because they depend on him so heavily on offense (unless Beal becomes a superstar)

I think that he's been great. I feel like he's figuring out how to play in the NBA finally. He's not just some super fast dude anymore. I like watching that team play. I can't believe it but I fell like Whitman has become a pretty good coach. I think that the Wiz could really do some damage in the playoffs. They are a team that it would be unwise to sleep on.

[bizil]

While many of these PG's today are really small SG's or combo guards, I think Wall is a PG flat out. He has alpha dog scoring ability, but he ALWAYS was more pass first than most of the new breed at PG. I would go so far to say that other than Paul, Rondo, and Rubio, Wall is as good of a passer as any PG in the L. I think Wall has the potential to be a freak athletic version of Gary Payton. Great defender capable of defending PG, SG, and some SF's, great scorer, and great passer. Westbrook has those kind of gifts, but he thinks more as a SG. Very impressed with Wall! He and Beal will be the best all around backcourt in the L sooner than later. And on a sidenote, Durant has to REALLY CONSIDER going home to DC to play with those guys. U add KD to the Wizards and that's a future dynasty!!

[bdreason]

He has maybe the greatest HS mixtape of all-time. When I first saw his HS footage, I thought he played like Wade on steroids. Wall is a game changing player, and his stats don't do him justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4CbQGBbUOw

[JimmyMcAdocious]

He has maybe the greatest HS mixtape of all-time. When I first saw his HS footage, I thought he played like Wade on steroids. Wall is a game changing player, and his stats don't do him justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4CbQGBbUOw

Wall and Drummond have the two most ridiculous high school mixes ever. They look like HOFers in their prime against children.

[smoovegittar]

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I have watched hundreds of John Wall games.

You may have heard about his performance last night. 18 pts and 13 assists doesn't really jump out at you as a super dominant game, but honestly this is one of the top 5 games he's ever played. He looked like prime Jason Kidd out there.

Here's the thing about Wall; he controls the ball more than just about any player in the league. He holds the ball for more time than all but a few guys and he makes more passes than all but a few guys.

This means he has to make a TON of decisions every game, and that has always been a weak spot in his game. The main problem with his decision making has been when to drive and when to pull-up, and when to slow down and when to explode. To date, his decision making when it comes to where and when he should try to score has been subpar.

You figure a young guy is going to improve his BBall IQ as he gets older, and that's what we've seen with John. The difference is that he puts that IQ on the line more than any other young player, so as he gets smarter and more consistent it is going to have an absolutely massive impact on his teams performance. People have long been talking about him making "The Jump", and imo that jump is still out there. We have not seen that full power of the Great Wall of Chinatown.

Here is a FACT about Wall. Anyone perimeter player who plays alongside him shoots significantly better from 3. His court vision is insane, and his height/length allow him to make any pass imaginable. He's leading all PG's in steals and blocks.

If he doesn't continue to improve his decision making, the Wizards will not get any better because they depend on him so heavily on offense (unless Beal becomes a superstar)

I really like John Wall. I can't disagree with anything here.

[Jailblazers7]

He has maybe the greatest HS mixtape of all-time. When I first saw his HS footage, I thought he played like Wade on steroids. Wall is a game changing player, and his stats don't do him justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4CbQGBbUOw

Yeah, I still go back and watch that sometimes. Dude's got style and those blocks are just