Houston Rockets: Is John Wall right about John Wall?

Following the Houston Rockets 104-109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, John Wall had some strong words for his critics. When Wall was asked if going through his injury struggles over the past two years is a source of motivation for him he had an interesting answer.

I still think I’m an All-Star in this league. I still think I’m a big-time player in this league. In the last two years, there’s a lot of talent that came into this league, and there’s a lot of guys that are still in this league that were talented before I got injured. But I feel like when I’m healthy, I can go against the best of them.

Now, Wall didn’t really directly answer the question but in another sense he did. Wall let it be known that he is motivated to reclaim his All-Star status that he feels the past two injury-plagued seasons have robbed him of.

John Wall is on a mission to recapture the magic that made him a franchise player and in his mind he still is. While his motivation and self-belief are admirable, that does not mean he is self-aware.

With Wall likely on the shelf for the remainder of the season with a grade two hamstring strain he’ll have to wait until next season to prove that he’s still an All-Star caliber player. The Rockets are hoping that he still has that level left in him but does that line up with reality?

It has been a long time since Wall was an All-Star and an even longer time since he had a completely healthy season. If he is going to get back to where he once was, as he believes is possible, both of those are going to have to happen.

The Rockets have a plan to keep him healthy but even if they’re able to will that be enough. John Wall believes he is an All-Star and big-time player in the NBA. The question is, is John Wall right about John Wall?

Next: When John Wall was an All-Star

Houston Rockets: How good was John Wall?

The last time Wall was fully healthy was with the Washington Wizards in 2016-17 when he made the All-Star team for the fourth consecutive year and made his only All-NBA team. For the season he set career highs in field-goal percentage (45.1-percent), points (23.1), assists (10.7), and steals (2.0) per game.

From 2013-14 to 2017-18 Wall made the All-Star team each season and averaged 19.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 1.8 assists, on 43.6-percent shooting from the field. Those two sets of averages represent the best of Wall and his All-Star baseline.

If Wall wants to be an All-Star again he needs to get back to averaging 20 points and 10 assists a game, especially considering the fact that he is now in the Western Conference. Will a full season with a clean bill of health be enough to hit those benchmarks or does Wall need to subsequently step his game up?

It has been almost four years since Wall had a clean bill of health and with an Achilles injury mixed in it’s possible that the All-Star level he set in Washington is a thing of the past. If Wall is right about where he’s at in the NBA hierarchy, then he faces an uphill battle to reclaim his old spot.

Next: How John Wall can become an All-Star again

Houston Rockets: How John Wall needs to improve

On the surface, Wall looks to be back on track to make a run at the All-Star team next season, health willing. Through 40 games with the Rockets, this season Wall posted averages of 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

However, Wall’s field-goal percentage of 40.4-percent is a career-low and makes his 20.6 points per game a product of opportunity and not of skill. Of all the qualified players to average 20 points or more this season the lowest field-goal percentage is Jerami Grant’s 42.8-percent.

It also can’t be forgotten that league scoring has ticked up dramatically this season, which makes Wall’s 20.6 points far less impressive than it would have been in 2016-17. This season, the average points scored per game is 111.8, which dwarfs the 2016-17 average of 105.6 points.

The area that is most out of line with Wall’s All-Star seasons is his 6.9 assists per game. Part of the issue is that the Rockets are one of the worst shooting teams in the league but that doesn’t explain everything.

Wall’s assist percentage of 36.7-percent is his lowest mark since his rookie season and a far cry from the 44.8-percent mark he posted over his five All-Star seasons. If Wall wants to be an All-Star again he is going to need to improve his efficiency from the field and recapture the playmaking that made him one of the most dynamic point guards in the league.

Next: Is John Wall right?

Houston Rockets: Is John Wall right about John Wall?

John Wall believes if he can stay healthy, that he’s still a top-tier player and All-Star in the league. Unfortunately, Wall’s injury history has continued to grow and his days of playing 75 plus games and averaging 30 plus minutes might be a thing of the past.

It’s incredibly difficult to be an All-Star if you can’t stay on the court and the Rockets would be within their right to limit his exposure to ensure that he can stay healthy for a full season. Now, let’s pretend that Wall figures out his body and is able to play a full starter’s level of minutes over a full season.

As documented before, for Wall to be an All-Star he’ll need to improve his shot and his playmaking next season. Health could go a long way in helping to solve some of Wall’s woes.

His field-goal percentage at the rim is a career-low 56.8-percent, which has coincided with the lowest dunk rate (1.5-percent) of his career. It’s likely with an improvement in his physical condition he’ll be able to finish at the rim with more efficiency and an improved rate of dunks would portend that he has reclaimed some of his lost burst.

John Wall’s self-belief is what made him one of the best players in the league. His ability to take over games with his athleticism, passing and acrobatic finishing was the basis for his All-Star selections.

Unfortunately, athleticism was the pillar of his game, and barring a serious improvement from his shooting it will have to be for him to be effective once again. Wall is right, that when healthy he is an All-Star, but his days of being 100-percent over a full season are likely gone.

Players don’t get healthier as they age and Wall hasn’t played more than 41 games since 2016-17. If he wants to stay healthy he’ll have to scale back his workload, take the All-Star team off the table, and be a per-minute All-Star. Fortunately, there is an award for the best bench player in the league.

Wall shouldn’t get caught up in what he once was and should look to be the best version of his current self. John Wall isn’t a top-tier player anymore, but if he’s honest with himself and his body he could add a few Sixth Man of the Year awards to his resume.