[Old General Record] Wizards Soul, why no one wants it?

Looking at the long historical river of the NBA, some superstars have always been remembered by history, but there are also many players who are like meteors, shining light and disappearing into history.

John Wall, the former Wizards' head, has faded his name, but his name can still be retained in the hearts of some fans. Compared with the glorious old age of other superstars, Wall struggled relatively in the last few years of his career, but even so, it could not erase his former glory.

Wall's story is a legend about speed. It is in the hearts of every fan, especially Washington fans. Wall is a well-known player, but it seems that he has been out of the market for a long time. The last time he was selected as the All-Star was in the 2017-18 season, and even the last time he appeared on the NBA, it dates back to 2023.

Even though he left the field quickly, it was no surprise that at his peak, Wall was a well-deserved star of the Wizards. At its peak, it should be considered a top five defender in the league. During his time with the Wizards, he was selected into the All-Star five times, averaging 19.9 points, 9.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game, leading the team to the playoffs four times between 2014 and 18, and this is the second time that the Wizards have achieved such outstanding results since the 1980s.

As a flash of lightning on the field, Wall is the veritable commander on the field. With rare athletic ability and passing vision, he was able to score a comprehensive data averaged 23.1 points and 10.7 assists per game in the peak season. He was selected into the third team of the best team and once ranked in the top ten in the MVP voting list.

Thanks to the above performance, Wall left an indelible mark on the Wizards. However, even though countless miracles have been created in the NBA, such players often find it difficult to have a perfect ending.

Time comes in 2018, and Wall's story takes a dramatic turn.

At first it was just a minor operation. Wall underwent arthroscopy in January and is expected to miss the game for 6-8 weeks. Although it is a bit unexpected, for a veteran player who has been playing in the NBA for eight years, such a lack of games is not a rare thing.

However, by the end of December, Wall had to undergo another surgery, this time for a debridement repair for his left heel lesions and Achilles tendon injuries. From the time of the day, Wall's career gradually began to fall into doubt. Although modern medicine has been able to minimize the risk of Achilles tendon injuries, it is still quite serious for top athletes. Within a month and a half, Wall lay on the operating table for the third time. Later, when Wall participated in the show, he revealed that the attending doctor even suggested that Wall amputate at one point.

It was during this dark period that the Wizards had to choose to change their direction.

When Wall fought hard with injuries, the second leader of the team, Bill, gradually proved his core value. From the 2017-18 season to the 2019-20 season, this former Tanhua Show averaged 25.8 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In the league that pays more and more attention to three-point firepower, Bill has more ability to score outside than Wall, and Wall's repeated injuries have further consolidated Bill's position as the team's new leader.

In December 2020, the Wizards made a major decision: trade Wall and a first-round draft pick to the Rockets for Westbrook. After the transaction, Wall said in an interview with the media:

"This is really heartbreaking. I was still in Houston at the time. I stayed in the apartment during the epidemic lockdown and thought to myself: Damn, I really no longer belong to Washington."

For Wall at that time, it must be difficult for outsiders to understand the interest at that moment. He has been playing in Washington for ten years since entering the league, from a young rookie to a core team, to a sudden trade and leaving the team. Everything came too quickly and too suddenly.

As for the Rockets' time, Wall had no hope at the beginning:

"I originally hoped to stay in Houston for a long time and even signed a contract renewal, but they had other plans. They wanted to rebuild and hoped to find young talents."

In the Rockets' only season, Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game. Although he has lost his former explosive power and his defensive footsteps and speed have also declined significantly, his offensive end is still good efficiency. In addition, he pays enough attention to scoring ability in the new era point guard position, so Wall still seems to have the ability to become a key link in the team's tactics.

However, in the 2022 offseason, the Rockets still chose to cut Wall. But the problem seems to be that Wall performed too well. Based on the record, although the Rockets only scored 17 wins and 55 losses in the 2020-21 season, the team's record was 12 wins and 28 losses when Wall played.

Such results certainly cannot lead the Rockets to the playoffs, but it is worth noting that the team's core Harden was traded after only eight games, while the other two core members, Oladipo and Kevin Porter, played less than 30 games in the season, and the inside core Wood only played one more game than Walter.

Judging from the attendance rate of the character lineup, this part is the key to the Rockets' sluggish record. And if the Rockets could give Wall a healthier lineup at that time, there might be hope for the playoffs.

But in the end, the Rockets chose Jaylen Green with the second pick in that bad season, and then scored 20 wins and 62 losses in the 2021-22 season, and 22 wins and 60 losses in the 2022-23 season. They won the top five picks in the draft for two consecutive years..

During that period, Wall was waiting patiently and did not get a chance to play in the entire 2021-22 season. Until the 2022-23 season, Wall signed with the Clippers and mainly served as the team's substitute point guard. He played 34 games in a single season and averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists per game, but his personal positive and negative value was the lowest in the team -3.1. He failed to play due to an abdominal injury in the middle of the season, and was then traded to the Rockets and then bought out.

For Wall, although he has reached the age of 34, he still hopes to return to the league and is eager to get the opportunity to continue playing. Although many overseas leagues have opened large contracts to recruit Wall, he believes that he belongs to the NBA and is even willing to serve as the mentor for young players of the team.

Previously, on George's podcast, Wall stated that he was willing to return to the NBA in any form:

"I know that many teams gather a large number of young players, but not many senior leaders. As long as I can enter the team, I am willing to accept any role, and it is okay not to play. I just want to wear the NBA jersey again, because I still have the remaining strength. If I can help the team like a coach or mentor, I am happy to accept it."

However, this wish eventually became a regretful dream. Today, John Wall publicly announced his retirement, ending his 13-season NBA career.

But no matter what the future is, what Wall left to the basketball world is not only those amazing assists and lightning breakthroughs, but also a love for the game and persistence in victory. And his story will continue to inspire generations of basketball dream chasers to move forward bravely and never give up.