John Wall is a tremendous talent and is clearly the
face of the Washington Wizards franchise. Franchise players need to do whatever
it takes to elevate themselves individually so they could in turn elevate that
same team to new found greatness. Wall is taking the necessary steps to take
the Wizards to the playoffs and beyond by working with Seattle Supersonics
great and defensive stalwart Gary “The Glove” Payton. Wall has been working
hard to improve his jump shot and stated the following about what he is doing
to fine tune it “Footwork also, just like catching the ball and working on
pivots and stuff”
All that is great but Wall wants to do something very
similar to what Payton used to do in his playing days which is posting up. At 6’4
195 pounds Walls body is very similar to Payton’s 6’4 190 pounds. Wall like
Payton isn’t the best shooter but his body for a point guard should allow him
to post up and use his physicality to create higher percentage shots for both
himself and his teammates on the Wizards. Wall unlike Payton though posses elite
athleticism and explosion to the rim so a post game will open up a whole new
dimension to his game that would greatly benefit the Wizards.
John Wall is adamant about building something in
Washington and not jumping ship to go play somewhere else. “My main thing as a
person, I’m not a follower. I like to be a leader”. This guy is a premier
talent and if he finds that defensive
stopper mentality within himself then the Wizards have something very special
to sell tickets around. Wall is the Wizards and after signing a max deal for
the next 5 years getting paid 80 Million dollars. “I feel like I would have had
the opportunity to go anywhere. Wall respects his peers but isn’t about
fraternizing saying “I feel like I’d be a follower trying to build a legacy somewhere
else. I feel like I’m a person who gives my word and my commitment to where I
started and that’s where I’d like to finish”
So he isn’t going to take his talents to South Beach
to play for the Heat nor is he interested in getting his jersey retired at the
Staples Center. For John Wall it’s about hanging banners at the Verizon Center
in Washington and building a legacy with his own footsteps. So Working with
Payton is going to help Wall do what most Point guards are afraid to do and that’s
play defense.
