NEW YORK — Early into his first NBA minutes since April, John Wall wanted to show a bit of his old self. So, he squared up against New York Knicks point guard Brandon Jennings and easily lost him with an evasive dribble. The first move was vintage Wall — the three-time all-star who Coach Scott Brooks believes still has another notch to reach in his career.
However, while attempting his finishing move to get to the rim, Wall stumbled over his own feet. Too fast for a pair of knees that had undergone offseason knee surgery.
On Monday night, Wall tried to find his footing in the Wizards’ 90-88 loss to the New York Knicks. Wall lasted for a little more than a 15-minute run in his preseason debut. He had long been a cheerleader on the bench by the time New York’s Lance Thomas made a pair of free throws with 0.2 seconds remaining to secure a win for the hosts.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 17 points in nearly 27 minutes and Kelly Oubre Jr. and Johnny O’Bryant contributed 10 points each.
Though at times Wall showed some rust, he also produced a few highlights after his months-long rehabilitation.
Wall finished with a solid line: eight points (4-of-9 from the fieldl), four assists and three defensive rebounds as Brooks kept him on the floor for roughly eight-minute stretches in the first and second quarters.
“I just want to go out there and play basketball,” Wall said before the game. “If I have an injury and I come back, I don’t think about it. I just go play. When you think about it, you don’t do well.”
Hours before his return, the news left Wall in a playful mood. As the team concluded the morning shootaround, Wall launched basketballs high into the Madison Square Garden seats for the rookies to retrieve, calling it “a little, fun game.” Also, he donned dark sunglasses and expressed faux astonishment about his comeback.
“Psych!” Wall later said. “Yeah, I’m playing.”
A joyful Wall contrasted with the caution that had surrounded him for months. Following his procedures, Wall exercised extreme patience when asked about his health, revealing little to nothing. Though the 26-year-old recently returned to full participation in the Wizards’ preseason practices and even played uninterrupted minutes of five-on-five, he would not suggest a timeline for his return. Until now.
“We had it all planned out, after five-on-five and a couple good days at practice,” Wall said. “I’ll play a couple minutes and see how it goes.”
Brooks echoed Wall’s sentiment.
“He’s been going through five-on-five and we’ve been increasing it the last week or so,” Brooks said. “He felt good. He feels good.
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“We’re excited about it,” Brooks continued. “He’s been really putting in a lot of great work in and all the work that he’s put in with the staff over the summer, it’s paid off. I think he wants to get out there and play.”
Wall progressed from playing one-on-one against team staffers in the summer to competing full strength against teammates a week ago. After each practice, Wall reported the same positive news: He felt fine.
“The biggest thing I took away,” Brooks said about the practices. “(Wall) made myself and all our coaches a lot better. The guy can play.”
Some of those moments came early. During one of the Knicks’ opening possessions, Carmelo Anthony tried to move past Marcin Gortat but Wall closed in and knocked the ball away. Besides his defense on the perimeter, Wall gave the Wizards the missing element from their previous two preseason games.
Later in the first quarter, Wall skipped a long bounce pass to Otto Porter Jr. but his teammate could not complete the transition layup.
Wall missed his first two clean jumpers — and had that previously mentioned slip-up near the rim — but scored his first basket near the 4:19 mark of the first quarter. Wall slowly pushed the ball up court and received a clear-out screen from center Ian Mahinmi. With nothing but space surrounding him, Wall pulled up for the mid-range jumper.
“He’s working toward where we need him to be. Every day is a work day for John and he’s done his job,” Brooks said before the game. “He’s shown that he’s ready to play.”
Courtesy: Washington Post
