NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 things we learned from Wizards beating Hawks
By John Buhler
1. John Wall is the second best player in the East behind only LeBron James
We all know who the best player in the Eastern Conference is. That would be Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James and that’s not even remotely debatable. After James, most of the elite players in the NBA happen to play in the Western Conference like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.
Frankly, one would have to get to the eighth or ninth-best player in basketball before the next Eastern Conference player would come off the board. While he would have worthy challengers in the form of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Kyrie Irving, it’s not a stretch to say John Wall is the second-best player in the Eastern Conference to James.
Nobody passes the basketball like Wall. He is literally a Wizard out there with the rock in his hands. Wall does things with the basketball that Albus Dumbledore could never dream of. When he gets the ball in transition, he is at the rim in an instant, usually scoring buckets for the Wizards offense. Because of his raw athleticism, Wall is often at the free throw line to add points to his impressive stat lines.
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2016-17 was a year of marked improvement for Wall. Things started to click upstairs for him like never before. He became a more willful player and a more self-aware one at that. Wall has helped make many of his teammates better. Though his bench is largely garbage, his starting five has certainly benefited from playing alongside Wall this season. Washington can go as far as he takes them this spring.