Wall’s rise brings buzz to Wizards
WASHINGTON John Wall realized and appreciated the double meaning as soon as he said the words.
He had spent the previous day with eight kids from Washington, taking them to lunch and on a shopping trip just before Christmas. Wall smiled, discussing the shopping tendencies of the young kids who chose several less expensive gifts vs. the older kids who preferred big-ticket items such as an Xbox.
“It’s better to give than to receive,” Wall said.
That’s fitting for a player who loves to set up teammates for buckets and does it as well as any other point guard in the league.
Wall leads all NBA guards (and is tied for the lead among all players) in double-doubles with 19, is averaging a double-double (17.2 points and 10.3 assists) and is the primary reason the Washington Wizards are 22-11 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
After concern about whether it
would happen in this manner, Wall has arrived, and there’s more to his game, he said.
“I’m far away from reaching my full potential, to be honest,” Wall, 24, told USA TODAY Sports. “My biggest goal is to get this team to the Finals. That’s our goal. We had a taste of the playoffs, and we feel we’re a team that’s clicking and has the right pieces. It’s just about us building our championship mentality.”
Wall has put himself into the MVP discussion, and fans have noticed. He leads Eastern Conference guards in the All- Star voting, ahead of Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose and Kyle Lowry among others.
“No matter if I average 30 (points) and we’re losing, you’re going to talk about me individually but not in a team concept, and I’m more of a team guy,” Wall said of the recognition. “If I’m playing well and my team’s winning, that speaks for itself.”
COMMUNITY GUY The full breadth of Wall the player and person is on display this season.
Wall had 26 points and 17 assists in a double-overtime victory against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 8. In a postgame interview with the Wizards’ TV partner, Wall broke down in tears, grieving the loss of 6-year-old Miyah Telemaque-Nelson, a lymphoma patient he had befriended.
It wasn’t just a one-time meet-and-greet. They met and Face-Timed often, and her death crushed Wall, who posted this message on Instagram: “It’s been difficult, losing Miyah hurts. She touched me in so many ways and her impact will live on forever, not just in my heart but also in the lives of so many of you that have come to love her too. Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement and support during this past week.”
And Wednesday, which would have been her sixth birthday, Wall encouraged donations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society.
There are certain philanthropic endeavors the team needs to publicize for the NBA Cares program. But Wall doesn’t have to do much of what he does, and much of what he does isn’t publicized by the team.
“John’s a good person. Always has been,” Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said. “He’s done a tremendous amount of work in the community — not only this year but in the past. But maybe some things have been more in the forefront this year that have been public. He’s always been that type of person. He has a good heart and wants to give back.”
Wall credits his mother, Frances Pulley, for instilling a desire to give back.
“That’s who made me want to push and dedicate myself to this game that I love to play just for fun,” Wall said. “But seeing the efforts she went through just to make sure me and my sisters and brother could be all right. My mom raised me well.
“I’m a humble kid and still enjoy everything that I do. I’ve been put in a situation where I can be beneficial to others. It’s an opportunity to give back. I want to see my community do well.”
And members of Wall’s community — family, friends, teammates and Wizards fans — are
“Now, you have guys wanting to come and play in D.C.”
John Wall
thrilled to see Wall do well. He went through a lot of losing in Washington while Grunfeld rebuilt the roster and eliminated problems. It resulted in 23, 20 and 29 wins in Wall’s first three seasons.
Wall’s ability to blossom into an elite NBA point guard also was questioned. Could he become one of the league’s best at his position, or was he destined to be good but not great during the golden age of NBA point guards? It could have gone either way, really, and Wall made sure it went one way.
“Dedicating myself to watching a lot more film, studying guys and working on my game really helped,” Wall said. TEAMMATES SEE DIFFERENCE Before this season, Wizards forward Paul Pierce knew Wall only as an opponent. Then Pierce joined the Wizards.
“I see how he not only wants to be good, but he wants to be great — about his habits every day, how he’s approaching every game, how he studies the game. He’s a student of the game,” Pierce said. “Those are the things you really don’t know when you’re not around a person. I knew he had great talent and all. But I didn’t know too much about him on the inside. But just being here, he wants to be great. He wants to be one of the best.”
With Wall’s penchant for passing, Wizards center Marcin Gortat said, “It’s fun to play with him.”
Gortat is shooting 55.6% on passes from Wall, and 65 of Wall’s assists have been to Gortat, more than any other player and just ahead of the 63 to Pierce.
It’s not just pick-and-rolls with Gortat and Nene. Wall is finding the open man on the perimeter, too. Bradley Beal is shooting 46.2% on three-pointers and Rasual Butler is shooting 48.8% on three-pointers assisted by Wall.
Wall’s play has elevated expectations for the Wizards, who beat the Chicago Bulls in the first round of last season’s playoffs before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals. Reaching the conference finals this season would be a big step.
“Now, you have guys wanting to come and play in D.C.,” Wall said. “In the past, not many considered coming here. We’re on the right page, but we have a lot more building and growing to do, and we just want to keep getting better and better.”