John Wall will miss up to six weeks after minor knee surgery
By Ian Levy
The Washington Wizards were hoping to break through this season and hit the Eastern Conference Finals. With John Wall out for the next six weeks they’ll have to fight just to stay in the playoffs.
The Washington Wizards are right where they have been for the past few seasons — stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference. Through Jan. 29, the Wizards were 27-22 with a plus-1.6 point differential per 100 possessions, tied for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards have been driven by their All-Star backcourt — John Wall and Bradley Beal — but that pairing hasn’t been enough to break through.
In addition to questions about depth, Wall has appeared to take a step back this season. He’s currently averaging 19.4 points, 9.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. It’s an impressive stat line but all four of those marks are below what he averaged last year. In addition, Wall is shooting just 41.7 percent from the field. He hasn’t looked quite right and now we know that knee pain may have been the culprit.
Candace Buckner of the Washington Post reported today that Wall would undergo a minor knee surgery before the end of the week, holding him out of the next six weeks, including the All-Star game.
DEVELOPING: John Wall will undergo a knee procedure tomorrow (described as a clean up). He will miss six weeks & will not play in upcoming All-Star weekend, The Washington Post has learned.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) January 30, 2018
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This is a huge blow to the Wizards. While they are currently in the middle of the playoff picture, they are just four-and-a-half games ahead of the Detroit Pistons in the No. 9 slot. Those are the same Pistons who just added Blake Griffin and could be looking to make a strong second-half run. Washington has been outscored by an average of 1.9 points per 100 possessions this season when Wall is not on the court. If they’re not careful, they could slip right out of the playoffs entirely while Wall recovers.
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Wall’s injury also leaves room for a replacement on the All-Star team. Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons and Kemba Walker all have strong claims. Given that they both play point guard, Walker would seem to be the logical pick.