John Wall named to NBA's All-Defensive second team

It's official: John Wall has arrived as a defensive superstar in the NBA.

John Wall was named to the NBA's All-Defensive second team Wednesday afternoon after receiving seven first-team votes and 53 for second-team. Chris Paul, Tony Allen, and Jimmy Butler were the only guards to appear on more media members' ballots than Wall in this year's voting.

For all the talk about how John Wall has improved this season with his jumper and controlling the tempo as a point guard, Wall's biggest jump came on the defensive end this season, so it's nice to see Wall's efforts being rewarded. Plus, it's nice to see someone on the Wizards finally earn some recognition considering the Wizards have had a top 10 defense each of the last three seasons.

And let's be clear: The Wizards would not have been able to maintain their success from last season without John Wall taking such a big leap on the defensive end this season. For as good as Paul Pierce was this season, the Wizards still desperately needed a long, speedy defender like Ariza to cover some of the NBA's most challenging perimeter players. Wall took on that role while still carrying a heavy burden on the offensive end. He had marvelous games defending some of the NBA's best, and capped off the season by shutting down All Star point guards Kyle Lowry and Jeff Teague in the playoffs.

Wall is the first Wizard to be voted to an All-Defensive team since Larry Hughes in 2005.