More on John Wall Injury
Adam Spolane: John Wall is out tonight, Christian Wood is in
The Houston Rockets’ five-time All-Star is likely to have his left knee scoped at some point this season, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Wall suffered a knee contusion in practice last week. He’s expected to return to play soon, sources said, but addressing his knee down the road is expected.
Alykhan Bijani: #Rockets Injury/Status: Dante Exum (NWT-R Calf Strain) Eric Gordon (Out-R Groin Strain) Danuel House (Out-R Knee Contusion) Rodions Kurucs (NWT–L Oblique Strain) Davis Nwaba (Questionable–R Wrist Strain) Victor Oladipo (Out–R Quad; Injury Maintenance) PJ Tucker (NWT) John Wall (Out–L Knee Contusion) Christian Wood (Out–R Ankle Sprain)
Salman Ali: John Wall will play tonight.
Salman Ali: Stephen Silas on John Wall's return: "He's coming back earlier than expected. I didn't expect him to be here this weekend."
Adam Spolane: John Wall is probable for the Rockets tonight
Cayleigh Griffin: Updated injury report: DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Gordon will play in Chicago. Sterling Brown is still questionable. John Wall remains out.
Jonathan Feigen: [John] Wall good to go.
“I went through three or four different infections. So it got to the point where, OK, are you going to have to cut your foot off or not? That’s where it got real with me.” Rockets guard @JohnWall sits down with our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania .
The word leaking from L.A. and Miami workouts in recent weeks was that Wall looks totally rejuvenated after his long recovery. If that's true, it would buck the trend of what Achilles injuries consistently have done to NBA guards in their 30s.
Michael C. Wright: Stephen Silas on John Wall's health: "I dont know much about his health. I know the guys upstairs have been communicating. I'm just kind of waiting on the info, & we'll proceed w/caution, obviously. It really is dependent on performance team, and the evaluation that they have."
Thursday morning, professional basketball skills trainer, Stanley Remy posted a video of John Wall hooping at "Remy Runs - Miami," which featured a heated matchup with DMV native, Michael Beasley.
Trash-talking aside, Wall looks to be in phenomenal shape, but most importantly his jump shot mechanics have improved significantly. No more speculation. His release is quicker and he's shooting on the way up, not down. Both of which were significant issues in year's past.
Wall has been out of action since 2018-2019 season. Even though he was good to go for the Orlando bubble, he opted out of it. “I’m great. I’m 110% healthy. Just working on my body, working on my diet, those type of things right now. Just waiting to see when they’re gonna let us play next season because I’m itching,” Wall told ESPN’s Jason Fitz and Field Yates.
Wall looks like he's in shape, moving quickly and knocking down shots from all over the floor. Whether he's playing against the best competition, it's tough to tell. But this video should be encouraging for Wizards fans anticipating his return.
Chase Hughes: Scott Brooks says he and GM Tommy Sheppard will both visit John Wall this summer to check in on his workouts. Wall spends the offseason in Miami. "He looks great, he's excited, he's fired up."
We can still take it from those who have been able to watch him up close throughout his recovery, like Wizards head coach Scott Brooks. In an appearance on The Sports Junkies on Monday, Brooks said his point guard is looking quite good in workouts down in Miami. "[Wall's] in a great place, he has a great program, working out, continuing to get his rehab, his body looks great from the last time I saw him," Brooks said. "Talking to our coach that's with him [in Miami], he said, 'He looks really good and he's excited about having a lot more time before next season.' "From the eye test, I'm excited," he said. "[Wall's] gonna be just as good if not better than ever."
According to Bonga, we may be underestimating Wall a bit. "I think people don't get how still crazy good John is right now. People don't get it. People don't get it. Seeing John... with us and [with] G-League [players]. It's like, man, he cannot wait. He legit can't wait to be back out there. That's what he be showing every day out there. It's crazy," Bonga said.
According to Bonga, we may be underestimating Wall a bit. "I think people don't get how still crazy good John is right now. People don't get it. People don't get it. Seeing John... with us and [with] G-League [players]. It's like, man, he cannot wait. He legit can't wait to be back out there. That's what he be showing every day out there. It's crazy," Bonga said.
Don’t expect Washington Wizards point guard John Wall to suit up in Orlando. While he has declared that he’s “110 percent” healthy, the five-time All-Star has repeatedly said that he isn’t going to play this season. Head coach Scott Brooks and general manager Tommy Sheppard have echoed this sentiment. Earlier this week, Wall reiterated that he won’t be back until the start of the 2020-21 campaign. “No. I won’t play at all. I’ll wait until next season,” Wall told 980 The Team’s Kevin Sheehan. “That decision has already been made. So, no, I’m not [playing].”
“Me not playing all season, I’m trying to get into a rhythm of practicing,” he said. “And the last two or three months, I haven’t been around the guys, I haven’t worked out with the guys, and we haven’t got any chemistry or anything like that. So, that’s a big factor. So, no, I won’t play at all. I’ll let those guys continue to work and keep getting better, and then I just can’t wait to get out there with those guys next season.”
Ian Begley: The Wizards and John Wall have both said he's not going to return in 2019-20 but some Eastern Conference teams expecting to head to Orlando are planning as if Wall may return to the court once the season resumes. Wall has been sideline since December 2018.
Fred Katz: John Wall: "I’m 110 percent. I’m healthy.” I will answer the follow-up, since he and the organization have said it 392 times: No, he does not plan on playing this season, even if there are more Wizards regular-season games to be played.
Wizards head coach and former Thunder head coach talked with 106.7 The Fan about Wall’s health, continuing the plan to bring him back next season. Here’s a link to the entire session. “No. Definitely not, but he’s definitely ready next season. He’s looking great. When I saw him last in March, he was terrific.”
“If we were continuing to play and he was going through more practices and continuing to progress and check off all the boxes that we need to be checked, then yeah. But nobody ever anticipated this would happen and we would still have, theoretically, 18 games left and it’s going to be mid-May soon. He will be ready,” Brooks said.
That was certainly the case in their latest episode, which featured Washington Wizards guard John Wall. After making five straight All-Star Games, Wall suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and hasn't played since December of 2018. Over the course of such a long absence, he's become something of a forgotten man around the league. But let Wall tell it, he's going to change that as soon as he gets back: When I'm not playing, I'm watching these guys play. Like these young guys, they killing our team and they looking at our bench and stuff. Just know I got those written down in my notes for when I come back when they start next season. I can't wait to see them what I got, what I'm about. But I'm gonna be better than what I was before, and that's the scary part. Damn near the whole five years I was an All-Star I played with two bone spurs in my knee and my heel. People don't know that. They ain't even get the best of John Wall yet, they just got a clip of him.
Wall was asked if the season being paused could help his chances of playing this year, given he now has more time to recover. Wall left no doubts about that possibility. "Nah," he said. "One of my ultimate goals is to make sure I'm fully, all the way healthy... in our best-case scenario, we're just going to wait until next season."
Wall, though, may have the resources to stay in shape, but none of that can recreate scrimmaging and practicing with teammates. "[Quarantine] kind of knocked [my rehab] off-balance because I'm not getting up-and-down in five-on-five and the conditioning I like to do," he said.
Chris Miller: #Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard says it’s still not feasible for @John Wall to play this season despite the #coronavirus postponing the #NBA season. #RepTheDistrict
On this early March afternoon, he was participating in a routine one-on-one drill. The ball had swung around the perimeter and eventually would go to the ball-handler at the top of the key, who was allowed up to three dribbles to make a move. The defender — in this case, a sacrificial lamb named Garrison Mathews — would scurry inside the 3-point line, fundamentally closing out and hoping to deter a basket. “Hoping” is the operative word here. It was Wall’s turn to go. He received a pass and put the ball on the ground. One dribble, two steps and liftoff. He threw down a lefty slam glorious enough that its release today should quench any fans’ thirst for the sports world’s first new highlight in weeks.
Rehab assignments after long-term injuries occur all the time in baseball. We’ve seen it grow more common in the NBA. Stephen Curry, for example, practiced with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in early March. Wall might be the most extreme case. He spent weeks running with the Go-Go before the season paused. “That has become such an important priority for us. How can we impact John’s rehab? We’re here for him and that’s our job,” Richman said. “Our job is to be in service of the Wizards and take care of our players and develop them.”
With each turn of the calendar, promising signs continued in Wall’s rehabilitation from a Achilles’ tendon injury. Those flashes might have led Washington Wizards fans to envision Wall suiting up for the first time in more than a year if the NBA returns this season. That won’t happen.
“We’ve said all along that we can’t wait until John plays next season, and I think that will still be our attitude and our stance,” Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard said in a recent interview. “We’re very anxious to see John Wall in uniform next year. I don’t think any of this changes that.”
Despite the late-season break, don’t count on Wall to appear on the court during the 2019-20 campaign. The original plan the team and Wall had set remains unchanged: He will stay on the sideline during his 10th NBA season in an effort to fully recover from a left Achilles’ tendon injury suffered in January 2019. “We’ve said all along that we can’t wait until John plays next season, and I think that will still be our attitude and our stance,” Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard said in a recent interview. “We’re very anxious to see John Wall in uniform next year. I don’t think any of this changes that.”
Barring something unexpected, we won't see John Wall in an NBA game for another seven months as he continues to take the long road back from a ruptured Achilles. The Wizards are being extra patient with him, knowing the nature of his injury and the stakes of his recovery, with a lot of money remaining on his contract. And when he comes back, expectations should probably be set accordingly. He is coming off a very serious injury, especially for a point guard whose game centers around speed and quickness.
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks, though, has already seen enough behind closed doors to express some encouraging optimism. He believes Wall is going to eventually be the same player he was before his surgery. "He's putting his work in. He hasn't played a lot of 5-on-5, but he's played enough to see that he's going to be just fine," Brooks said. "He's going to be the John that we all love. He's going to be one of the best point guards in the league when he comes back."
Brooks went on to say that Wall is in good shape, that his "conditioning has been great." That is one of the areas he is continuing to work on after missing so much time. Wall himself has said that he needs to work himself into game shape before returning, that running and dunking are only part of the equation. So, the fact his conditioning is also getting close to normal is an excellent sign. Brooks, though, reiterated Wall's unlikelihood to play this season. "He's close, but the season is winding down," Brooks said.
Candace Buckner: #Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard is doing a Reddit AMA and one of the first questions he received was on John Wall's recovery. He revealed how Wall has been scrimmaging with the Go-Go
Candace Buckner: Tonight at #Wizards bowling event. John Wall was asked when did he get to the point to feeling OK if he doesn’t play this year: “That was my plan from the start.” Wall went to describe how he learned from DeMarcus Cousins, one year of rehab from an Achilles injury isn’t enough
Candace Bucker: John Wall participated in "bits and pieces" in #Wizards practice tonight, Coach Scott Brooks said. Brooks said the contact was "very light." Still, no change in his status.
Candace Bucker: John Wall participated in "bits and pieces" in #Wizards practice tonight, Coach Scott Brooks said. Brooks said the contact was "very light." Still, no change in his status.
Candace Buckner: John Wall participated in "bits and pieces" in #Wizards practice tonight, Coach Scott Brooks said. Brooks said the contact was "very light." Still, no change in his status.
While addressing Bradley Beal, Sheppard pointed out how Beal's life would be easier "when he gets John back next year." That prompted a follow-up and Sheppard explained why no one should expect Wall to play until the start of next season. "I think we have maintained that all along. We didn't plan on seeing him this year. I think that's fair to John, to manage the expectations for him," Sheppard said. "He's on his way, but he's not there and he's not close yet. He's a lot closer than he was a year ago when the injury happened."
No matter when you come back, you’re gonna have to build your physique back up. You’ll have to build it back up physically. You’ll be at whatever percentage health you are, and then you’ll get a little better. A month later, a little better. And so on. How much are you gonna depend on your mind vs. your speed? John Wall: But that’s why I’m taking my time so much and not coming back, because I don’t wanna be on a minutes restriction or do those types of things. I’m just trying to let my body heal, so when I do come back, if I gotta (play) 35 minutes, then I will. But the one thing with me is that when I come back from surgery, I don’t think about that. Since I’ve been on the basketball court, I haven’t thought about my Achilles one time.
Wall: And people (are) like, ‘Why don’t you? Aren’t you worried?’ I’m not worried, because they said when it’s healed, it’s healed. I’m gonna play basketball. So like, if I come back, I’m not gonna be the one like, ‘Oh shit. I gotta do this. I gotta do that.’ No. Play the way you play. Make adjustments with what you’ve seen and what you’ve worked on and developed to help your game, help the team. But I’m still gonna play basketball the way I know how to play.
Candace Buckner: John Wall is in Miami with the #Wizards and told me he spent the afternoon playing 5-on-5 with... Amar’e Stoudemire (!) at a local gym inside a hotel. This is a significant step in Wall’s Achilles’ rehabilitation. However, still don’t expect him to play this season.
Fred Katz: Lots of status updates from Scott Brooks today about John Wall, who played “controlled” 4-on-4 with teammates for the first time. Brooks says he still doesn’t know if Wall will play this year. All the quotes and info below: pic.twitter.com/VVN0EBpsDo
Fred Katz: More Brooks on Wall: "That guy is as competitive as I’ve seen an NBA player be, and it was taken away from him. Think about it. It’s 40 games. Last year, 50 games. This year, 41 so far — maybe 82. That’s not easy.” The rest of this is good stuff from Brooks: pic.twitter.com/XhWHQvVwES
The Wizards are very optimistic about Wall making a full recovery from his latest injury. I watched Wall go through the paces of a pregame workout recently, and he looks close to full strength. It still doesn’t make much sense for Washington to bring him back this season, but I like his chances for making a strong return next fall.
Fred Katz: Scott Brooks on John Wall playing 3-on-3 against player development staffers starting this week: "I thought he looked great yesterday. He looked really good.” @Chase Hughes reported today that Wall started participating in 3-on-3 games this week.
Candace Buckner: More Brooks on the team's decision to play John Wall, who will be approaching 11 months since his Achilles' surgery in January: "It’s going to happen organically. What I like what he’s doing, he’s getting after every workout.” Brooks says he's playing asst coaches 1 on 1
Candace Buckner: Scott Brooks seen the vids of John Wall dunking and working out in Detroit. While there is no timeline to make a decision IF he'll be play this season, Brooks says: “It’s not like we’re shutting him down and focusing on the 2020-21 season."
John Wall throwing down a dunk during warmups. Looks like that Achilles is healed👀
Chase Hughes: Wizards managing partner Ted Leonsis, who said over the summer that John Wall will "probably not" play this year, said today "next year we will have John Wall back."
Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks joined “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan in DC on Tuesday and talked about some of the progress Wall is making in his recovery from the torn Achilles tendon. “He’s running, he’s jumping, he’s shooting. He’s shooting the lights out. That’s the good thing about an injury like he’s had — all you have to do is shoot. He’s looking good,” Brooks told “The Sports Junkies.” “Still lots of work to be done, but he has the right mindset. I anticipate him coming back and being as good as ever.”
Kevin Durant, now 31, is out with a torn Achilles. The Nets owe him $164,255,700 over the next four years. John Wall, now 29, is out with a torn Achilles. The Wizards owe him $171,131,520 over the next four years. Yet, Brooklyn is viewed to have a bright future in large part due to Durant. Washington is viewed to have a grim outlook in large part due to Wall. Wizards owner Ted Leonsis called out the dichotomy. Leonsis on The Habershow: "Why is everyone so positive – Kevin Durant has the same injury as John Wall and is older."
Since signing the deal in January 2018, Wall has been sidelined by a series of injuries, limiting his on-court visibility while wearing the brand's products. Just three weeks after landing the contract, Wall missed 27 games because of a left-knee injury. The injury cost him what would have been his fifth All-Star Game appearance the following month, when he was expected to help headline the brand's Crazy BYW X sneaker in Los Angeles.
Fred Katz: John Wall, as he has been, working out in Nikes: pic.twitter.com/SeP1lM9EeL
Shams Charania: The NBA has denied the Washington Wizards‘ request for a Disabled Player Exception for injured All-Star John Wall, sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
Shams Charania: The Wizards had applied for a $9.2M DPE due to loss of John Wall, who has been expected to miss the season rehabbing from a torn Achillies.
Bobby Marks: A player has to be deemed out until June 15 for a team to be awarded a Disabled Player Exception. Being ruled out for the regular season doesn’t meet the criteria.
Nowadays, things are much better for Wall. He is doing on-court work at the Wizards' practice facility. He can shoot jumpers and do individual ball-handling and passing drills. He can jog and lift weights. After months of waiting to just have his walking boot come off, Wall is very appreciative to simply be able to do anything on the basketball court. "Just to do the ball-handling and be able to shoot and do the weight-lifting, that's a great aspect [of my progress]. It makes it easier for me because I'm in a great space where it's fun," he said.
Wall can admit now after the fact it was a difficult time for him. "I've just put in a lot of hard work," he said. "For me to be where I'm at right now, with all the setbacks and infections and then finding out my Achilles was ruptured and then going through another infection, it was like 'man, when can I ever get past that point of just getting out of the boot and walking?'"
Wall can admit now after the fact it was a difficult time for him. "I've just put in a lot of hard work," he said. "For me to be where I'm at right now, with all the setbacks and infections and then finding out my Achilles was ruptured and then going through another infection, it was like 'man, when can I ever get past that point of just getting out of the boot and walking?'" What made that last part particularly frustrating was where Wall makes his offseason home. He summers in Miami, a place notorious for its humidity. "I was in Miami during the summertime in a boot. Like, man, I don't want to be in hot Miami in a boot, sweating," he said.
“I’m in no rush,” Wall said. “Only [I] can know how my body feel. Everybody has a deadline of, ‘Okay, at the year point you’re supposed to be back playing basketball.’ It doesn’t always work that way. Whenever doctors tell me anything like that, [they say,] ‘It’s all up to John Wall and how your body feel and do you feel like you can go out there and play the game you love at the highest level.’ I’m in no rush.”
Fred Katz: John Wall on his injury: “I’m in no rush (to come back). Only me can know how my body feels.“ Says his timetable “is all up to John Wall.”
Candace Buckner: John Wall spoke about his rehab. While others may have timelines about what he should be doing in a year, Wall said he knows his body and will take his cues from it. "I’m in no rush. "
Wall is out for most, if not all, of the season because of a ruptured Achilles tendon — Sheppard said the NBA has not ruled on whether Washington can use a disabled player exception — leaving Beal as the unquestioned best player and leader of the Wizards. “Really excited to see what Bradley Beal does this season,” Sheppard said. “He’s a tremendous cornerstone of this franchise. We’re very blessed to have him.”
Ted Leonsis: We are all proud of John Wall and how he is progressing and working on his recovery – physically, emotionally and psychologically; He's working on his college degree too, and we intend to embrace him as an organization. nbcsports.com/washington/wiz…
What about the other scenario, with the Heat taking on both Wall and Beal with the understanding that Miami wouldn’t need to give up nearly as much quality in return? As we reported in early July, that scenario has been seriously discussed inside the Heat and there’s sentiment to do that, because of how much the Heat loves Beal and because of the internal belief that Miami can get Wall back to All-Star level following his ruptured Achilles, which is expected to sideline him this upcoming season.
Chase Hughes: Today is John Wall’s annual backpack giveaway, this time in Capitol Heights, MD. He just addressed the media, saying he doesn’t want to sit out all of next year but will listen to Wizards doctors. More later @NBCSWizards. pic.twitter.com/lzHg0PjOkQ
Durant's familiarity and comfort level with the Nets medical staff was a major determining factor in him ultimately signing a deal to come to Brooklyn. While most critics are scoffing at the thought of Durant seeing the hardwood this upcoming season, according to Weinfeld, Durant's chances are exceedingly better than that of injured Wizards star John Wall's. "A point guard plays a different kind of game than Kevin Durant does," noted Dr. Weinfeld. "An explosive type athlete, his demand is different than that of Kevin Durant's. You talk about odds of coming back to where he was, I think Durant's odds are better than an athlete like John Wall whose whole game is quickness and explosiveness. He [Wall] counts much more on those muscles being exactly where they need to be as opposed to a player like Durant and his style.
While many expect not to see either Wall or Durant until the 2020-2021 season, Dr. Weinfeld is confident that Durant can return to the player fans saw lead the Warriors to two championships, three straight finals appearances, and dominate the NBA as a two-time Finals MVP and league MVP. "I think he'll probably be somewhere between 90 and 100 percent," stated Dr. Weinfeld. "That's my thought assuming everything goes smoothly and he doesn't have any setbacks I think you can expect somehwere in the 90 to 100 percent range."
Sam Vecenie: The Washington Wizards have applied for a Disabled Player Exception in respect to John Wall, per a source. Team has not yet received notification from league as to whether or not the application has been granted or denied.
But on Monday night, Wall, standing upright and looking trim in a pink suit jacket, shared an updated timeline for his rehabilitation. “I’m about to start jogging in like two weeks,” he told NBC Sports Washington on the red carpet of the NBA Awards show in Santa Monica, Calif. “Just riding the bike,” Wall said, describing his current workload. “I get to do exercises standing up now, so I don’t have to sit down. I’m able to move, do ladder steps, doing those types of things.”
With that in mind, Leonsis is taking the long view. He wants Wall and the Wizards to get his rehab right, no matter how long it takes. "John understands his commitment will show from this rehab," Leonsis told NBC Sports Washington on the Wizards Talk podcast. "If it takes the whole season, we don't care. We are not putting pressure on you on a time. "Make sure that you are rehabilitating in the right way so that when you do come back, you don't have that little voice in your head [saying] 'did I do everything the right way to be able to come back and be a great, great player?'"
From a distance, Arenas has watched as Wall has endured multiple knee surgeries and, now, a pair of Achilles surgeries that ended his 2018-19 season and could end his 2019-20 season before it begins. He knows Wall. He knows the franchise. He knows the fans. And he knows the media pressure and inevitable story lines. His message to Wall, who inherited the Wizards from him as the top pick in the 2010 draft, is this: The prospect of another long-term rehabilitation might be excruciating and the injuries might require adjustments, but your career isn’t over. “John Wall is still going to be a valuable point guard,” Arenas said, by phone from Las Vegas where he attended the Big 3 draft Wednesday. “He will still have his IQ. His speed is going to be there. He might lose some jumping ability. He’s still going to be better than above-average, better than Ricky Rubio and Lonzo Ball. Why do people want to get rid of him? For what? A lesser player? Because that’s what you’re going to get.”
A person close to Wall said this injury, dismaying as it is, is what he probably needed to “grow up” some more. Nothing like the prospect of facing basketball mortality to inspire some maturity. Wall said he’s spent his time away from the game to enjoy the time he gets to share with his infant son, Ace. He’s also gained a greater appreciation for the game and what it has provided for him and his family. And, he’s been bathing in the words of his detractors. “Just hearing what people say, that just keeps my fuel going,” Wall said. “I read all the articles. It’s over. His career is over. All that type of stuff. So, it’s fun for me.”
Wall spoke to reporters at halftime of the Wizards’ last regular-season game Tuesday night. He said his goal is to return next season, “but whenever the doctors clear me and get to that point, then I will know.”
Candace Buckner: John Wall spoke to media during halftime of the #Wizards game. He says he's "almost" close to getting the stitches removed from his left foot. When the stitches are taken out, he will no longer have to use a scoooter, but just a walking boot for the next month.
Fred Katz: Wall said he reads "all the articles" and what people say keeps him going. So, what do people say? "'It’s over. His career is over.' All that type of stuff. So, it’s fun for me."
Fred Katz: John Wall on how he’d feel if the Wizards drafted a point guard: “I’d be fine. I have no problem with that because it is what it is. You have to do what’s best for the team...We wanna make sure that we have pieces. And when I come back, he can be a great backup to me.”
Wall and the Wizards have not discussed the potential of him sitting out for the entire 2019-20 season, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The plan remains for Wall to rehabilitate and come back healthy, however long that takes. Whether he plays or not, Wall’s “supermax” contract extension is set to begin next season, making him one of the highest-paid players in the NBA: He’ll have a $37.8 million starting salary.
