Washington Wizards: With Loss of Wall, Wizards Are in Big Trouble

The Washington Wizards’ push for the playoffs has gotten significantly harder with the news that point guard John Wall will be out for at least six weeks.

The Washington Wizards‘ push for the playoffs has gotten significantly harder with the news that All-Star point guard John Wall will be missing at least six weeks of the season, potentially eight, after having surgery on his knee.

The Washington Wizards have been stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings, playing worse than they should, and losing Wall is going to be a major blow to their hopes for the postseason.

The Wizards currently sit at fifth in the East, just a half a game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks and one game ahead of the Indiana Pacers, things are tight, and the Wizards are looking at a tough road ahead.

More from Washington Wizards

The remaining opponents for the Washington Wizards this year have a composite winning percentage of 55%, which is the most difficult remaining schedule for any team in the Eastern Conference.

Fortunately for the Washington Wizards, they do have other talent on the team, and the continued evolution of shooting guard Bradley Beal into one of the brightest stars in the NBA will certainly help cover the loss of Wall a bit, as will the continually improving play of forward Kelly Oubre.

But if there’s been one knock against the Washington Wizards over the past couple years, it’s been a lack of depth on the bench. Most of Wall’s point guard responsibilities will likely fall on Tim Frazier, who did see some sizable playing time during the 2016-17 season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

In that season, Frazier averaged 23.5 minutes per game with 7.1 points per game, 5.2 assists per game, and shot 40.3% from the floor. Wall was averaging 34.3 minutes per game, so Frazier has a lot of space to fill, though some of that will likely be also filled by Tomas Satoransky.

This injury is also very concerning for John Wall’s future, this isn’t the first time he’s had a major injury like this. He missed the first 33 games of the 2012-13 season after suffering a left patella injury and had a double-knee surgery in the 2016 offseason.

Next: With Wall Out, Beal Has Chance to Grow Even More

That being said, since that 2012-13 season, he has averaged 79 games played each season, but it’s fair to be a bit concerned about the future of John Wall’s health as he continues to get older. I’m not saying panic, but I know I’m certainly concerned, because as John Wall rises and falls, so do the Washington Wizards.

Home/Washington Wizards