It’s just one game. But it looks like the Washington Wizards may soon regret that they traded John Wall to the Houston Rockets before they had a chance to see what he could do in a game. In his debut for Houston, the Rockets (1-2) won 122-119 against the Sacramento Kings (3-2).
Wall scored 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting and dished 9 assists in 36 minutes of action in his first regular season game since December 2018 when he played on the Wizards. He showed much of his vintage form, dunking the ball twice and finding teammates for easy passes to former college teammate DeMarcus Cousins and franchise guard James Harden who led with 33 points in a game where Houston came back from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter. You can watch the highlights above.
Something else you should be aware of as you watch the video: fans were in the Toyota Center where the game was played. This is not unexpected given the political tendencies of the state.
Anyway, Wall’s shooting percentage was just 40 percent and he was just 2-of-8 from the three-point line. At the same time, considering that he looked good in his first game in TWO YEARS, I still think it’s something Wall can build on as the season continues.
Wall shot 8-of-20 in his debut for the Rockets vs. the Kings.
— Albert Lee (@aleeinthedmv) January 1, 2021
His shot plot wasn't the best, but overall, he looked very good in his first NBA game in TWO YEARS. pic.twitter.com/jzpkt5kwgE
After the win, Wall was given the game ball and spoke about how it was like to play again and reuniting with Cousins.
I’m happy for Wall, who played a key role getting H-Town, Space City, Yao’s City their first win. We won’t recap EVERY Rockets game on this site, but given the significance of Wall’s comeback and that he was our franchise player, I think you all would like to know.
As for the Wizards? Well, it looks like it’s going to be a dark winter and a bad season barring some major changes, like firing head coach Scott Brooks and perhaps some more of the coaches on the staff. I still haven’t gotten over this 0-5 Wizards start yet!
For more on Wall and the Rockets, check out The Dream Shake. And for the Kings, check out Sactown Royalty.