For John Wall, the 2020-21 NBA season was primarily about proving his health. Having not played since December 2018 due to an assortment of serious leg injuries, including a torn Achilles, Wall first and foremost needed to show that he could play at the highest levels, again.
From that individual perspective, the 30-year-old has largely succeeded. In 40 games played, Wall is averaging 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 32.2 minutes per game, and he’s the clear leader in Houston’s locker room.
Unfortunately, thanks largely to a barrage of injuries, that success hasn’t translated into many victories at the team level. Entering Tuesday, Wall’s Rockets (15-46) have the NBA’s worst record. Wall’s personal health has also played a prominent role in that, since he’s missed 21 games due to either injuries or planned maintenance on back-to-backs.
Nonetheless, Wall has seen enough that he’s optimistic about the 2021-22 season — and he believes he could get back to the form that made him a five-time All-Star earlier in his distinguished career.
In comments made after his strong showing (27 points, 13 assists) in last Friday’s extremely competitive loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, here’s what Wall said about his return season and his outlook for the future:
I read all the haters, the fans. They say I’m not nothing, or the team’s not nothing. We know this is not the way we wanted the season to go, but we dealt with a lot of injuries. We got a team we’re sort of rebuilding, trying to find the pieces to move forward with. But I have a lot of trust in it and know we’ll have a better year next year. …
I still think I’m an All-Star in this league. I still think I’m a big-time player in this league. In the last two years, there’s a lot of talent that came into this league, and there’s a lot of guys that are still in this league that were talented before I got injured. But I feel like when I’m healthy, I can go against the best of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcfQX2w5Ww
Wall said his biggest priority for the upcoming offseason will be to make sure his body is physically ready for a normal NBA season, which is 82 games in length. “My job this season was to come back and show people that I still have a lot left in the tank. I think I’ve proven that,” Wall said. “The most important thing is for me to have a great summer by keeping my body healthy, preparing myself for an 82-game season.”
“It’s a little different,” he added. “I pushed myself more last summer working out and trying to play pickup to see where I got, because I didn’t have the opportunity to play for two years. I think I put people on notice that I still have a lot left. My job is to try to help this franchise win.”
Wall is unlikely to be a trade candidate this offseason, since he’s due to make $44.3 million in 2021-22 and has a player option for $47.4 million in 2022-23. Thus, the best-case scenario for both Wall and the Rockets is if he follows through on those lofty personal goals.
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