John Wall had a rough 2018-19 season where he’s received criticism from what he does in his personal time at the beginning of the season. And since February, he ruptured his left Achilles tendon soon after getting surgery on the same heel to avoid that very injury.
Since his injury, Wall kept a low profile while the team has evolved under Bradley Beal who averaged at least 25 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds this season. Until Tuesday that is.
Wall spoke to media in an exit interview on his plans during the NBA offseason and the draft. You can watch parts of the video above from NBC Sports Washington where he expressed optimism about his recovery. There is no set timetable on when Wall will return, but he will miss most of the 2019-20 season.
Wall also answered a question on the possibility of the Wizards drafting a point guard in this year’s draft. He gave a standard response saying that the Wizards have to do what they need to do to improve, but also noted that such a player can be a “great backup” when he returns.
Here’s Hoop District with the video of that response:
John Wall is fine if #Wizards were to draft a point guard: "When I come back, he can be a great backup to me." pic.twitter.com/maGa0Zmc4B
— Hoop District (@HoopDistrictDC) April 10, 2019
This is certainly a hot take that Wall remains unapologetically defiant about his ability to play at an All-Star level when he returns. Also, Tomas Satoransky has done quite well as Washington’s starting point guard with Wall injured. But here’s some more context on how Wall answered that particular question.
Wall was specifically asked about a point guard being drafted by Chris Miller so I don't see it in that context. Its been interesting how much PG talk exists though; I've read about the need from multiple places, just so they have a change of pace guy to Sato.
— Oz (@OBtoojiveforyou) April 10, 2019
If you’re wondering what Satoransky himself is planning to do, he is definitely hoping to get a big pay raise from this tweet by Lukas Kuba.
Tom Satoransky talked to Czech reporter @JanKaliba, says "finances will play a big role" on where he plays next season, "there are more factors on which I'll have to wait till June or July." Saty also says the Wizards didn't have the chemistry at the start of the season. https://t.co/ah4C0EjLOA
— Lukas Kuba (@Luke_Mellow) April 10, 2019
If the Wizards were to draft a point guard in June, it certainly raises the chances that Satoransky will look elsewhere to play in the 2019-20 season. Point guard will definitely be a position of need this summer no matter how you dice it.