John Wall did a wide-ranging interview with David Aldridge of NBA.com (scroll down) last night. During the interview, Wall and Aldridge collectively named eight point guards that are currently better than the Wizards' third-year man.
"You've got Chris Paul, Russell [Westbrook]," he said Sunday night. "Derrick [Rose] right now. I'd say Kyrie [Irving]'s up there, doing pretty good. I like [Portland's] Damian Lillard. I'd say he's up there in that category. He's playing out of his mind, to play like he's a rookie. I feel like those years in college really helped him. I feel like they'd be the top."
He agrees, when Rajon Rondo's name is mentioned, that Rondo is better. He goes along with Denver's Ty Lawson, and volunteers Golden State's Stephen Curry. And that's the list. Eight better.
(Tony Parker is not mentioned; I'd guess that's an oversight).
That all leads into a discussion of whether Wall is truly a max-contract player. Aldridge concludes that Wall should get a five-year deal that's slightly less than the max.
One other takeaway: Wall strongly endorsed the additions of Martell Webster, Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza. Wall said those players care about winning and gave him confidence to shoot freely, unlike previous teammates that "weren't very professional about their job."