With a promising young star expected in town to save the dreadful Washington Wizards, the excitement, buzz and hype sky rockets through the roof. Not only is John Wall considered a ‘sure-thing’ or a ‘cant-miss-prospect’ but also many believe he didn’t need that first year of college and was ready for the NBA after his senior year in high school. Time and time again we see expectations on a young athlete set at a very high bar and often, the athlete isn’t ready or can’t handle the buildup.
Wall has been hyped up by every NBA fan, media member and expert to be the next league superstar. So it seems only fitting that he receives advice from another NBA superstar who has been there before.
“The one advice LeBron [James] gave me was ‘Don’t try to live up to all the hype. Just go out there and play basketball. Enjoy the game and be happy to be out there to play,’” Wall said at his press conference.
The question here is if Wall will listen to LeBron and try not to do too much, but rather stay focused and continue to improve on his game. Wall seemed very humble and talked about his weaknesses: “With me, I want to get better at playing harder on both ends and my jump shot. That’s going to be the key of people guarding me at the next level.”
A consistent jump shot will be crucial for Wall to develop as he only shot 32.5% from the three point line, which is three feet closer to the basket at the top of the key compared to the NBA. Wall already seems familiar with coach Flip Saunders’ offense.
“That’s just like coach [John] Calipari where point guards run his team and basically how they’re flowing, he let the team flow that way. And he lets you make mistakes, but he’s also going to stop you at a certain point and help you get better.”
It should only be a matter of time before Wall is the Wizards’ pick at No. 1. For any fans nervous about Wall getting swallowed in the hype or being an overconfident young athlete, all early signs steer clear of that. Wall’s first impression was wonderful and his humbleness and desire to get better is an excellent intangible for a young superstar with endless expectations.
— Nabeel Ahmadieh
