Workout does nothing to dissuade Wizards
Wizards officials will not confirm point guard John Wall will be the No. 1 pick in next week’s NBA Draft. The Kentucky point guard carefully uses words like “if” and “hopefully” when asked about helping to revive the District’s flagging basketball team.
But Wall’s workout at Verizon Center on Thursday morning sure seemed like the beginning of a long relationship. The 20-year-old spent 40 minutes on the Wizards’ practice court performing drills before the organization’s front-office personnel, including general manager Ernie Grunfeld and owner Ted Leonsis. The last 10 minutes were open to the media, followed by a news conference for an estimated 50 reporters.
“That’s my dream growing up: to be the No. 1 pick,” said Wall, who left Kentucky after just one season. “But they haven’t told me I’m going to be the guy. And I don’t know if I’m going to be the guy. I’m just coming out here trying to impress them, and hopefully on draft night they’ll pick me.”
That seems a safe bet. The consensus No. 2 pick is Ohio State guard Evan Turner, and he reportedly will not work out for the Wizards before the draft.
Wall touched on a number of topics. Yes, it will be hard to let go of No. 11 — worn by Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes and retired by Washington. No, he has no problem sharing the backcourt with guard Gilbert Arenas, who was the franchise’s star player until repeated knee injuries and a gun charge derailed his career. He even watched a Phoenix Suns-Los Angeles Lakers playoff game in person last month, studying the moves of Lakers star Kobe Bryant up close. But can Wall immediately be a leader on a rebuilding team with just six players under contract right now and no veteran presence?
“If I’m going to have the ball in my hands, my teammates have to trust me and my coaching staff is going to have to trust me,” Wall said. “At the same time, I’m going to have to listen to all things they tell me because they’ve been in certain situations before and played at the NBA level.”
