The Washington Wizards on Wednesday signed point guard John Wall to a five-year contract extension. It's a great investment for the struggling franchise - based on Wall's performance last season, he's on par with the top point guards in the NBA.
Washington signed Wall to a five-year, $80 million contract, the Washington Post reported. Although the Wizards have yet to make the postseason during Wall's tenure, the team is banking on the 22-year-old point guard to turn the franchise around.
"He is the cornerstone of our team, and we have clearly expressed our desire to build around him well before making it official by re-signing him," Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement, via the Post. "We are extremely confident in his leadership abilities and are excited to see the continued improvement of the team."
Some might question the Wizards signing Wall to the lucrative contract, given he has never reached the playoffs or made an all-star team. Washington is betting its future on the former Kentucky standout, and the team is right to do so.
The Wizards have been a lottery-pick team since the 2009 draft and are rarely, if ever, featured in nationally televised games. Without the best supporting cast around him, Wall has still shined. He's one of just four NBA players to average at least 16.5 points, 8.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals over his career - Chris Paul, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson accompany him on the list.
More importantly, Wall is on par with top point guards like Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams and Derrick Rose.
Wall's speed has always enabled him to get to the basket, but his outside shot has been spotty at best. Last summer, Wall worked on his shot with Rob McClanaghan - the renowned trainer who helped Rose and Westbrook reach All-Star status.
Wall improved his jumper, but a knee injury kept him sidelined from the start of the season until mid January. When he did return, it took over a month to get back into basketball shape - he'd been unable to even practice because of his injury.
When Wall did regain form, he dominated.
The team that went 5-28 without Wall finished 29-53 with him. Since March, when Wall got back into basketball shape, he put up All-Star numbers: 23 points (.456 FG), 7.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
By comparison (season):
Westbrook - 23.2 points (.438 FG), 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals
Williams - 18.9 points (.440 FG), 7.7 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Rose (2011-12) - 21.8 points (.435), 7.9 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Wall needs to consistently play at a high level before anyone can unequivocally say he's on the aforementioned guards' levels. But if Wall can continually turn out performances like he did down the stretch of the season, Washington's money will be well invested.
*Stats via ESPN.
