John Wall Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Notes: Hachimura, Thomas, Draft, Wall

January 4th, 2020 at 8:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rui Hachimura will be re-evaluated in about two weeks as he recovers from “a minor procedure” following a groin injury in a December 16 game, the Wizards announced in a press release. This is the first time the organization has acknowledged that Hachimura underwent a medical procedure, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

The rookie forward met with reporters prior to tonight’s game to provide an update on his condition. The injury resulted from an accidental kick by Isaac Bonga, and Hachimura said he forgave his teammate right away (Twitter link).

“He’s a good kid. It was an accident, you know,” he said. “I saw the video a couple times too. It was like, kind of — I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain but I think he felt bad too. He texted me right after.”

There’s more from Washington, D.C.:

Isaiah Thomas was fined $25K for making contact with an official in last night’s game, the league announced on Twitter. Thomas, who was ejected, insisted today that it was an accident, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. He explained that he lost his balance after being pushed in the back. “It was unintentional contact,” Thomas said. “Most importantly I would like to move on from it but I definitely didn’t mean to put my hand on a ref.” (Twitter link)
With the Wizards likely headed for the lottery again, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington takes an early look at the draft. He considers former Memphis center James Wiseman the best fit and wonders how the team would handle a guard-heavy draft after making major investments in John Wall and Bradley Beal. Hughes adds that Washington has moved some of its scouting resources to watch LaMelo Ball in Australia and R.J. Hampton in New Zealand.
In a separate story, coach Scott Brooks tells Hughes that Wall is filling a valuable role as an unofficial assistant coach as he recovers from injury, but is eager to start playing again. “It hurts John not to be out on the court playing. That guy’s a competitor,” Brooks said. “(When you’re out with an injury), you appreciate it more. I hate to say it, especially with the year we’ve had, injuries can happen with the next play. You don’t really know what’s going to happen, so you play your best on every play. When it’s taken away from you, it bothers you.”

Brooks: Wall Not Necessarily Done For Season

December 18th, 2019 at 9:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Wizards head coach Scott Brooks has not completely ruled out the possibility of injured former All-Star point guard John Wall returning during the 2019/20 NBA season, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link).

“It’s not like we’re shutting him down and focusing on the 2020/2021 season,” Brooks said, per Buckner. Brooks noted (Twitter link) that Wall has been practicing one-on-one against Wizards assistant coaches.

“It’s going to happen organically,” Brooks said when discussing Wall’s actual return timeline. “He’s getting after every workout.”

Wall tore his Achilles at his home in January while recovering from a heel injury. He has not played an NBA game since December 26, 2018. Injuries have been a persistent problem for the five-time All-Star, who was drafted No. 1 in 2010.

Wall suited up for just 41 games during the 2017/18 season due to a nagging knee issue that required surgery. He was only available for 32 games the next year, 2018/19, before incurring the heel and Achilles injuries. He has missed 26 games and counting in 2019/20 with the same injury. The 29-year-old point guard is in the first season of a four-year, $171.1MM contract extension.

Isaiah Thomas, on a one-year, $2.3MM veteran’s minimum salary, is currently revitalizing his career as the Wizards’ starting point guard in Wall’s stead. Before tonight’s 110-109 loss to the Bulls (in which he scored 16 points), Thomas was averaging 13.2 PPG and 5.1 APG in just 24.9 MPG, while shooting 43.3% from deep and 46.2% from the field.

Wizards Notes: Thomas, Wall, Hachimura

November 13th, 2019 at 12:08pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Isaiah Thomas is ready to return to Boston as an opposing starter for the first time since the club traded him away.“They’re gonna cheer. They’re definitely not gonna boo,” Thomas said (via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports). “I love them just as much as they do.”

Thomas, who has started the past three games for the Wizards, earned All-NBA honors as a member of the Celtics prior to the franchise trading him to the Cavaliers in the Kyrie Irving deal. The point guard is looking forward to the matchup in Boston — and showing his old franchise that he still has it.

“I visualize going for 50 on them. That’s the plan and to win the game. But I hope that night is not about me and it takes away from what this team is all about,” said Thomas.

Here’s more from Washington:

Thomas, who signed a one-year deal with the Wizards this past offseason, believes he can still reach his previous heights, as Candace Buckner of The Washington Post writes. “I’m going to be an All-Star again, for sure,” Thomas said. “I know that for a fact.” Thomas has made two All-Star appearances in his career.
John Wall isn’t pleased with FS1’s Nick Wright comparing him to Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams, as the point guard took to social media to sarcastically call Wright a “funny guy.” Wright called Wall and Goff the “anchor(s)” around their franchise’s necks “that brings them to mediocrity.”
Rookie Rui Hachimura recently sat down with Joe Heim of The Washington Post to his transition to the NBA among other topics. The Japanese-born forward spoke about what surprised him in making the leap to the Wizards. “Maybe that the organization is very big, and a lot of kind people work for this team. The facility is very nice, and everything is top-level,” Hachimura said.

Wizards Notes: Offense, Bertans, Beal, Wall

November 3rd, 2019 at 2:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards are shooting more three-pointers than ever before, as I recently detailed on NBAMath. In fact, every Wizards’ rotation player is experiencing a career-high in three-pointers shot per game.

Washington is currently 1-4 on the year but the team’s offensive efficiency ranks sixth in the league. That’s an improvement on last season, when the Wizards were league average in the stat. The offseason of change in the nation’s capital has led to improvement on at least one side of the ball. Now, the defense is a story for another day.

Here’s more from Washington:

Candace Buckner of The Washington Post examines the Moritz Wagner and Davis Bertans pairing. The duo came to the Wizards in separate trades this offseason.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis insists that Bradley Beal and John Wall have a better relationship than various reports over the years have suggested, as Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports relays. “Brad and John are way closer than the media portrays,” Leonsis said on The Habershow podcast. “They are also deeply immersed in the culture of the NBA and history of the NBA. Having a great backcourt is priority one and why would you want to, if you’re a great player, be a sidekick, if you will. And is that leading to happiness? I mean that’s the amazing thing that you see. You’ve never seen as many unhappy people as you’re seeing in the NBA.”
Beal recently signed an extension to stay with the Wizards for two additional years. Leonsis is happy with the new deal and talked about how he couldn’t understand why top players would go somewhere where they are not a top option. “If you get a young player and they’re a part of building your culture and the team, the culture really becomes theirs,” Leonsis said. “That’s the key thing and so if you’re gifted, and you’re gonna get paid in the NBA, why go play and be the third wheel? It’s counter-intuitive to me. Like, it’s LeBron’s team in LA. How’d it go last year? Did anyone look happy in L.A.? So Brad and John and the players here, they’re a part of something and it’s gonna be really, really hard. But [they’re] in it together.”

Wizards Notes: Brown Jr., Analytics, Wall

October 29th, 2019 at 8:24pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Troy Brown Jr. will make his season debut for the Wizards on Wednesday against the Rockets, as Candace Buckner of the Washington Post relays (Twitter link).

“I’m just happy to be back,” Brown said. “It’s just a good feeling, especially sitting out all that time and just being able to see how well we’ve been playing and just enjoying that mix of how good we’re doing right now.”

It’s unclear if Brown will start the Wizards’ home opener but it would be surprising if the second-year wing doesn’t eventually earn the nod. Here’s more from Washington:

Fred Katz of The Athletic details how the Wizards are using statistician Dean Oliver this season. Oliver, who formally worked in several NBA offices, was hired as an assistant coach by Washington this offseason.
Offseason addition C.J. Miles has about 1-2 weeks to go before he returns to the court, Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan passes along (Twitter link). Miles came to Washington in the Dwight Howard trade.
John Wall was seen at Wizards‘ practice running and taking part in individual drills, as Chase Hughes of NBCSports tweets. The Wizards were recently denied a disabled player exception by the league for Wall’s injuries.

Southeast Notes: Augustin, Thomas, Waiters, Wall

October 28th, 2019 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic point guard D.J. Augustin plans to play until he’s 35 or 36, as he told Sean Deveney of Forbes.com. Given that Augustin turns 32 next month, that would mean another three or four seasons in the league. Augustin began this season as the Magic’s starter at the point, though the team hopes that Markelle Fultz eventually emerges in that role. Augustin, an unrestricted free agent next summer, averaged 11.7 PPG and 5.3 APG last season while making 42.1% of his 3-pointers.

“I have sacrificed a lot, I am away from my kids a lot. They’re getting older,” the Magic point guard said. “I think 35, 36 would be a good age for me to be done and just spend time with them and be more involved with their lives.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Isaiah Thomas showed flashes of his former MVP self in his Wizards’ debut on Saturday night, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post writes. He had 16 points, five assists and three rebounds in less than 20 minutes after recovering from a thumb injury. Thomas joined the Wizards on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal after a forgettable season with the Nuggets. “There’s going to be some bad days. There’s going to be some good days,” he said. “But I’m going to be even keel throughout the process knowing that if I keep taking steps forward, I’m going to get closer to where I was and hopefully surpass that.”
It will interesting to see if the chemistry the Heat have forged thus far will be disrupted by the returns of Dion Waiters and James Johnson, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes. The shooting of Waiters and defense of Johnson can still help the team, though it played with a sense of togetherness in a win over the Bucks on Saturday, Winderman adds. Both are signed through the 2020/21 season, though Johnson has a player option.
Wizards point guard John Wall and Adidas are negotiating a buyout on his five-year footwear and apparel endorsement contract less than two years into the agreement, ESPN’s Nick DePaula reports. Wall, who is expected to miss the season as he recovers from an Achilles tear, was due to make nearly $25MM on the endorsement contract.

Wizards Denied Disabled Player Exception For John Wall

October 24th, 2019 at 7:25pm CST by clarkcrum

The Wizards request for a disabled player exception for injured All-Star point guard John Wall has been denied, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (via Twitter).

As both Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington and Bobby Marks of ESPN note (via Twitter), the denial does not come as a surprise, as Washington had to show that Wall would be out of action until June 15, 2020, 16 months after surgery, for an injury that generally has an 11-15 month recovery time.

Meanwhile, Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link) adds that the NBA’s denial of the Wizards’ request isn’t that big of a deal, tweeting that the team’s proximity to the tax likely would have prevented them from using the $9.258MM exception anyway.

Moreover, Katz opines (via Twitter) that it would have probably been more concerning had the DPE been granted because it would’ve meant that an independent physician determined Wall’s injury would sideline him for 16 months, begging the question as to the severity of the injury itself.

Wizards Notes: Starting SF, Bryant, Wall

October 16th, 2019 at 7:58pm CST by clarkcrum

Who will be the starter at small forward for the Wizards when the regular season opens up one week from today? According to the candidates laid out by Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, the race is down to three – Isaac Bonga, Admiral Schofield, and Jordan McRae – after Justin Anderson was waived earlier today.

With Bradley Beal and Ish Smith set in the backcourt and rookie first-rounder Rui Hachimura and big man Thomas Bryant likely to start up front, it’s down to Bonga, Schofield, or McRae to join that foursome in the starting lineup with both Troy Brown Jr. and C.J. Miles out injured.

“It’s still open,” head coach Scott Brooks said. “We got a lot of guys that are fighting for opportunities and, like I said, it’s not just talk — it’s wide open. Especially with all of the injuries, it’s really wide open.”

As Buckner notes, the Wizards should really opt to go with Bonga or Schofield if they are serious about a youth movement. But McRae is a scrappy veteran used to fighting for a roster spot, so it will be interesting to monitor the small forward position moving forward in Washington.

There’s more from the Wizards:

As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes, the Wizards’ best chance to improve on defense lies with the aforementioned Bryant. The 22-year-old youngster hasn’t been much of a rim protector previously, but he possesses some natural abilities that suggest he has the potential to become one. Said Bryant, “I have to be one of those guys to make a big difference. A big man can be the anchor for the defense. I have to take that responsibility to heart every day, whether it’s in practice or the game.”
In another piece for NBC Sports Washington, Hughes relays that injured point guard John Wall suffered another infection after his Achilles surgery that delayed him getting out of his walking boot. “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?'”
And in yet another article, Hughes writes how Wall is embracing his role as an assistant coach while out injured. Wall says this season will give him an idea of whether he wants to get into coaching someday. “I think this year will tell me whether I can be a coach or not… I think you have to have a lot of patience and you’ve gotta know how to interact with every player. Every player’s attitudes and character and mood swings are totally different. I learned from when a coach tried to coach me when I was young and I wasn’t the guy to coach.”

Wizards Notes: Injuries, Wall, Starters, Wagner

September 30th, 2019 at 12:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards will open training camp with several important players sidelined, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. John Wall, who may miss the entire season with a ruptured Achilles, is obviously a non-participant. He’s joined on the sidelines by Isaiah Thomas, who is recovering from thumb surgery; Troy Brown, who has a left calf strain; Ian Mahinmi, who is battling Achilles pain; and C.J. Miles, who had surgery on his left foot in July.

“We have some challenges ahead right now with our limited guys in training camp,” coach Scott Brooks admitted.

There’s more from Media Day in Washington:

Brooks answered “no” when asked if he’s mentally prepared to face a full season without Wall, but admitted that it’s a possibility (Twitter link). He promised the team will be patient with Wall’s rehab process, adding, “He’s not going to play until he’s ready to play 100 percent.” (Twitter link). Wall also addressed reporters, saying he will take cues from his body and is in “no rush” to return (Twitter link).
With so much turnover in the past eight months, the starting lineup remains unsettled heading into camp, Brooks said (Twitter link). Bradley Beal and Thomas Bryant will both be starters, but the other three spots depend on what happens during the preseason.
Moritz Wagner is looking forward to a greater opportunity in Washington after playing just 43 games as a rookie with the Lakers, relays Chris Crouse of HoopsRumors (video link). Wagner, who was part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to L.A., spent much of his first season in the G League. “My agent called and told me I was traded,” Wagner said. “That’s kind of how the business goes, I guess. That’s what you sign up for. People always talk about being traded as a bad thing. I think in my situation it was the best thing that could happen to me.”

Wizards Notes: Sheppard, Wall, Roster, Brooks

September 29th, 2019 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

New GM Tommy Sheppard indicated in a press conference this week that the Wizards will be giving a lot more minutes to younger players this year, relays Fred Katz of The Athletic. Sheppard stated that the organization wants to have each rookie play at least 1,500 minutes between the NBA and the G League. That represents a significant change from last season, when Bradley Beal led the league in minutes played and coach Scott Brooks relied heavily on his veterans.

Washington has a pair of rookies with guaranteed contracts in Rui Hachimura and Admiral Schofield, so they should see plenty of time with the Wizards. Garrison Mathews, who has a two-way deal, and Justin Robinson, who wasn’t drafted but has a chance to make the final roster, could both wind up at Capital City. Troy Brown, Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones, all second-year players who didn’t see much time last season, may spend time there as well.

“We gotta show them why and how it’s good for them,” Sheppard said about selling the approach to veterans. “But I think they’re active participants in it, and I think everybody appreciates that we’re trying to prolong careers. You make a bad decision on a player — they go out, and they pop a hamstring, or something happens which could’ve been avoided because of fatigue factor we didn’t recognize — that’s on us.”

There’s more from D.C., all courtesy of Katz:

John Wall is serving as a virtual assistant coach while he waits to return from a ruptured Achilles that may sideline him for the entire season. Sheppard said Wall is helping to teach the younger players, and the team won’t pressure him to try to return. “We’re not waiting on a calendar. There’s not a clock when he comes back,” he said. “He comes back when he’s 100 percent.”
The Wizards have 13 players with guaranteed contracts and may opt to go with a 14-player roster rather than the maximum of 15. “If you have 15 players and one gets hurt, (using a two-way player) is the only way you can plug it,” Sheppard said. “You have 14 players; you can sign somebody and bring them in that’s not in the G League. It gives you optionality … My vision, putting rosters together, it doesn’t make a lot of sense not to hold back a roster spot for the competition, for the inevitable injury, something.” Jordan McRae, who has a $400K guarantee, is considered likely to earn a roster spot, according to Katz, but injuries to Wall and Isaiah Thomas increase the need for another point guard.
Brooks, who is entering the fourth year of his five-year contract, will be judged on building a positive culture rather than wins and losses, Sheppard adds.