John Wall Unsure If He’ll Play Next Season

A torn Achilles tendon will sideline John Wall for at least the start of the 2019/20 season, and the Wizards point guard isn’t entirely sure that he’ll be able to return at all next season. After undergoing surgery on his Achilles in February, Wall told reporters on Tuesday that his return timeline remains very much up in the air, as Howard Fendrich of The Associated Press relays.

“I have no idea just yet,” Wall said when asked about playing next season. “That’s my goal. … That’s my mindset, where I’m pushing toward. But whenever the doctors clear me and get to that point, then I will know.”

According to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, Wall plans to rehab the injury in Miami during the summer. However, he’ll remain in town for a few weeks and will be keeping an eye on which direction owner Ted Leonsis goes with the club’s general manager hire after dismissing Ernie Grunfeld. The veteran point guard expressed confidence in Leonsis’ ability to make a strong hire.

“Whoever we have or hire is going to be somebody that has watched us from the outside, not the inside, and understands what this team needs and what type of culture we need around here, what type of veterans we need and what type of leaders we need to make this team the right team,” Wall said, per Hughes.

While the Wizards don’t have that new GM in place yet, Wall did offer one piece of roster construction advice for Grunfeld’s eventual replacement, as Hughes notes.

“I think most of the years I’ve been here we’ve always had five or six guys on one-year contracts,” Wall said. “That’s always tough to deal with because those guys are fighting for their lives and fighting to make sure they keep their jobs in this league. I think you kind of want to get and sustain a core group that you know is going to be here for a while.”

The Wizards are also in position to claim a high pick in the 2019 draft, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a prospect like Murray State point guard Ja Morant could be the best player available when Washington is on the clock this June. If the club does decide to select a point guard with its top pick, Wall is fine with that outcome, he told reporters on Tuesday.

“I would have no problem with that because it is what it is,” Wall said. “You have to do what is best for the team. You have to make sure that we have pieces. And when I come back, he can be a great back-up to me.”