When Kevin Durant met with the media Tuesday at Brooklyn’s opening of training camp, he didn’t know that John Wall was on the verge of being traded from the Washington Wizards to the Houston Rockets.
Nonetheless, Durant did comment on Wall’s physical condition, having played with him in the recently completed NBA offseason. Both Wall and Durant are All-Star players from the Washington, DC area, and each missed the entire 2019-20 season while recovering from an Achilles tear.
As a result, Wall and Durant are working to bounce back, with each counting on 2020-21 for a return to form. Per Durant, Wall is ready to go:
He looked amazing to me. He looked great. … I’m excited to see John play again. He’s been out for two years now. I know he wants to go out there and play great basketball and lead that team, so I’m excited for him that he’s back.
Wall hasn't played in a long time. Just yesterday Kevin Durant said Wall looked 'amazing' when they were together on the court playing during the offseason. (Video: NBA) pic.twitter.com/AAALz2MDZK
— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU) December 3, 2020
In October, Wall said he “felt young” heading into this season.
“I feel young, to be honest,”Wall told NBC Sports Washington. “I hooped today and I [said] I didn’t even feel like I played today. You know, that’s the most important thing to me, just locking in to have my body prepared for a whole season, no matter how many minutes I play.”
Wall played nine seasons in Washington, averaging 19.0 points (43.3% FG) and 9.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game. Since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, he’s a five-time NBA All-Star to date..
Now 30 years old, Wall hasn’t played in the league since early 2019 — which is why the Rockets got both Wall and the premium of a future first-round draft pick in exchange for Russell Westbrook. But with the 2020-21 season looming in just a few weeks, Wall hopes to recapture his pre-injury form with the Rockets and make the trade a worthwhile investment.
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