What's Next For The Wizards With John Wall's Injury

John Wall has a partially ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be out for at least a year. Reportedly Wall fell in his house. The Wizards team doctor said that because of Wall's age it could take him 11 to 15 months to recover from this injury. After his surgery the team expects Wall to take about a full year to return to full basketball operations.

John Wall's game is based around his athertliscm and him driving to the basketball. When Wall is healthy he is one of the most exciting players in the league to watch. When John Wall is in the playoffs he is incredible, in 2017 Wall averaged 27.2 points per game and 10.2 assists per game and in 2018 he averaged 26 points per game and 11.5 assists per game. John Wall is electrifying in the playoffs and everyone still talks about when he beat the Atlanta Hawks in 2017. Wall scored 42 points in game 6 to send the Hawks home that year.

John Wall's career is controversial, especially with his contract he signed. In 2017 Wall signed a four-year $170 million contract with the Wizards. At the time this contract was essentially a no brainer with Wall entering his prime, being the face of the Wizards. Now Wall is injured and could be out till 2020 and is facing a lot of unnecessary criticism. John Wall is a great player who any team would've gave that same contract to if they had the chance at that time. Wall is averaging 19 points and 9.2 assists over the course of his career so far. Wall is an all-star player and a top point guard who anyone would love to have.

The underlying reason why this injury is such a huge blow to the Wizards is because they haven't truly built a good team around John Wall and Bradley Beal. Without Wall, the Wizards are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference with the record of 24-32. The Wizard's signed Dwight Howard in the offseason, but he has only played 9 games this season. The locker room constantly has had issues with chemistry, between the fights and John Wall using vulgar language to toward the Wizard's coach during practice, they need to work on the culture of the locker room. The Wizards should take this time to rebuild around the Wall and Beal duo, fire the coach, and bring in  good quality players around them. They so far have brought in Bobby Portis, who is a promising power forward who could be very good to go into the future with. They also have brought in Jabari Parker who will be off their team by next season. Parker has a team option for next season, and with how little to no defense he plays the Wizards won't pick him up. Parker is a good gamble though to see how he fits with the team. Parker was highly regarded coming into the league and this could be his final chance at a real shot in the league.

Until John Wall comes back, the Wizards should work on turning Beal into the new form of shooting guard, like how Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are. Beal should get more involved in decision making. Beal is currently averaging 5 assists a game. which is very good, but without Wall, Beal's goal should be to get to at least 7 assists a game. If Beal can become more of a facilitator and become better at becoming at the #1 option, and only option most games, this would benefit the Wizards the most. When Wall returns he won't be 100% he'll need time to readjust, but if Beal can somewhat mimic what the Warriors are doing for Demarcus Cousins, where they are making the game come easier for him, then Wall's return will be smoother.

During this time off John Wall should enjoy some quality time with his son and his mother, who is currently battling cancer, and just get his head right. Wall needs to take his time coming back and make sure he's 100% healthy, if he comes back not fully healthy he could reinjure himself. Wall should also focus more on the decsion-making aspect of the game. He needs to take time watching film and really be dissenting his film, as well as the greats. John needs to talk to the legendary point guard and learn from their mistakes on the court, as well as their greatness. He'll need to talk to Demarcus Cousins to see what is in store for him. Cousins has just returned from an achilles injury and he'll be best suited to helping Wall with what to expect. If Wall comes back mentally stronger and smarter on the court he will be virtually unguardable.

With the year off John Wall has announced he's going to go back to college to get his degree. Wall plans on completing his undergraduate business degree, while working on rehab. Wall is the first person in his family to go to college, spending a year at Kentucky. John Wall has said that "I'm the first in our family to attend college, and although I have not yet completed my degree, it is a goal that I hope to accomplish." Wall inspired his sister to go to college also, she became the first one in their family to graduate college and went on to get her masters. Wall getting his degree is a great future decision as this will help him open more opportunities and help him better manage his money.

John Wall could be sidelined till 2020, but if the Wizards are smart they will use his injury for their advantage. They'll use this time to "audition" good fits around Beal and Wall, use Beal for as a James Harden type role, and prepare Wall with the proper rehab. The Wizards have Wall for 4 more years and they need to take advantage of, what could be, one of the best backcourt duos in the league. John Wall will come back as more of a complete player and will be better than before.