John Wall has a message for everybody who doubts in his return: "When I come back, I’m going to show them"
It was announced John Wall will most likely miss the upcoming season due to a foot injury he received last season after playing in only 32 games. Because of his injury and the fact he is slowly passing his prime, John Wall's big contract has raised a few eyebrows around the league. Wall signed a $207 million contract extension which makes him one of the highest-paid players in the league and the comments for that contract extension were mostly negative.
Wall is aware of all the comments surrounding his contract which makes him even more motivated to come back as a better player. Prior to his injury Wall was averaging 23 points and 11 assists per game, while at the same time playing really good defense, and was regarded as the best two way point guard in the league.
"Everybody got their own decision, but where I come from, it’s 'I ain’t turning down no money.' It's just as simple as that. I'm going to keep it real with you. Without the money, I'm still going to play the game the way I love to play it because that's what I love to do ...
Wall also stressed out that he is not that type of player who is willing to switch in order to win championships. He wants to remain a Wizard for the remaining of his career and is excited about the opportunity to come back and play for the same team.
"I’m not one of those guys that wants to play for multiple teams. I want to play for one organization. If it comes down to it, where you have to move around and it don't work, they're giving me the opportunity to come back, not this year but next year after, if I don't play well, you trade me. I can't be mad at nobody because they gave me the opportunity and I gave myself a chance to prove myself. That's all I ask for."
If Wall dedicates the entire year into his recovery and comes back as the same player we were able to see in previous years, the Wizards will need to add more pieces around him in order to be a contender in the eastern conference. Having a healthy Wall is definitely a good starting point for the Wizards to try and secure the playoffs, but for anything more than that, they will need to make some moves in the free agency next summer.
