In My Opinion: John Wall

Maybe we should change this series to "What does the future hold" as lately we have been talking about what is going to happen or what we would like to happen in the future. Well here it is.

John Wall, the most physically talented point guard I have seen in my life, the thing is, he's not just athletic, he has unbelievable vision. Wait... Did I just say most physically talented and on top of that unbelievable vision? Well for any of you who don't believe me it's true, watch this:

John Brenkus summed it up right there with "The court vision of Steve Nash and the dunking of Derrick Rose" plus not to mention he's faster than both, John Wall is too talented to fail, not to mention he is a solid leader (If he gets a good coach I guarantee he can be one of the best leader's) with a good head on his shoulder's. John Wall is an unbelievable athlete, with the best highlight reel I have ever seen, and the product of John Calipari's dribble-drive system may very well one day become one of the ten best point guards the NBA has ever seen.

In the Washington Wizards time of need they were blessed with the number 1 overall pick and they grabbed the physical specimen of a point guard John Wall, the thing is, though he is trying to turn the team around, but certain players aren't helping (Nick Young especially) You can call it growing pains or a sophomore slump the thing is the Wizards need to treat it right and let John Wall be John Wall so he doesn't go Stephon Marbury on us and only try to get his, and it's most likely to happen now then when The Wizards become a solid team (I know it seems ridiculous but it will happen, trust me).

John Wall, while possibly going through a sophomore slump has already improved his shot selection by cutting his jump shot attempts and going to the hoop instead (Which you could argue there is no better point guard in the league at), he is also shooting a higher percentage, rebounding better, blocking better, and playing faster. For some reason that's not turning into wins for the Wizards, it doesn't help that they have talented offensive players with mental problems; Nick Young is a gunner with no defense, Rashard Lewis is fading, Jan Vesely is not ready, Andray Blatche is a solid offensive player but he cannot spell defense, Jordan Crawford is a very talented scorer but his shot selection is very questionable, and JaVale McGee is talented and can be great, but he's totally out of it.

With a team like that almost any franchise star can be convinced chucking up shots is better than passing to a supporting cast that isn't going to get it unless they have a meeting sort this out and trade pieces (*cough* Nick Young & Andray Blatche exit left *cough*), because having a less than stellar... Okay, less than average supporting cast can breed selfishness and create a cancer that will set the team back more than a couple years. That's why it's a good thing Wizards fans have John Wall and not Stephon Marbury, John Wall is willing to work out the kinks and stay around (at least for now).

It's going to all be okay for John Wall though, he has playing time, the best speed I have ever seen in the NBA (maybe Allen Iverson was faster but from what I remember they seemed on par), makes great decisions while at that top speed (you may think he is out of control but if you watch you can see his great decision making), John Wall has an element to his game that almost no players have, he reacts and sees a play happen before it does (only Steve Nash, young TJ Ford, John Stockton and Isiah Thomas had it), that paired with his unbelievable athletisicm kill defenses, and will be able to work on his game and his chemistry with his teammates (while they learn how to play basketball). John Wall is already a more than solid playmaker (his vision like I've said before is amazing), a solid scorer, and an above average defender, and he's only going to get better. With his big wingspan and hands, not to mention his quickness, speed, athleticism and weight John Wall has the tools to become an absolutely amazing defender in the mold of a Gary Payton and at the very least a Mookie Blaylock, but it's okay that he is only 21 years old and growing. the Great Wall is young and a humble, good person with a good head on his shoulders, which it seemed Starbury, Stevie Franchise and a truckload of players who didn't fulfill there talent due to there mentalities didn't have. John Wall also seems to be a leader and has been that way since High School ball at least, with that and the substantial amount of talent John Wall possesses there is a great chance he will be a great player one day. As the great PG's in the league have gone through this stage of there career John Wall is doing so, and just like it showed us the difference between greats and goods (who actually wants to improve instead of who just stays away from rough spots in there games). Can... Wait WILL John Wall overcome his issues and become an NBA great or another super talented flash of brilliance that fades away.

(Here are some video's to show his greatness)

Dougie

You may have seen this on Dime or Slam but we just thought we'd recap for those of you that missed it!

or let's see some more!

? Vs ?: John Wall Vs Mike Conley

 John Wall     

 Mike Conley

John Wall Vs Mike Conley

John Wall, the rookie phenom, the unbelievable player, the future all-star is taking on the the facilitating, hardnosed, pesky Mike Conley Jr.Wall and Conley are great leaders and great passers, the question though is who's better? Wall or Conley, and that is exactly what we intend to find out.

Career Average:
John Wall gives a 16-5-8 every night while shooting 41%, 30% from the arc and 77% from the charity stripe, then he brings in two steals, four turnovers and half a block. Mike on the other hand gives 12-3-5 on 44% FG, 38% from deep and 76% from the line, then you throw in his efficient one steals and two turnovers. For career average John Wall leads by four points, two rebounds, one steal and three assists, and Conley increases percentages by 3 and 8, he even cuts the turnovers in half.

Winner: John Wall

Best Year:
John Walls best year is identical to his career average since he has only played one year, Conley on the other hand just had his best year throwing up a 14-3-7 on 44% FG, 37% 3FG and 73% FT he also had two steals and two turnovers. John Wall again beat Conley in everything except percentages and turnovers, which I think he might if he had another nightly offensive threat to work with.

Winner: John Wall

Scoring:
John Wall ups Mike Conley Jr by 3.1 points, Conley scores at a higher percentage and has better range, but Wall scores more.

Winner: Wall

Passing:
John Wall beats Conley by 1.8 assists while being surrounded by an inferior supporting cast, his passes are also much more creative and fun to watch.

Winner: John Wall

Defense:
Both John Wall and Mike Conley rank among the leagues top man to man defenders, but Conley is a pesky thief and great on ball defender, while John Wall is just as good on ball defender, a better defender of the jump shot, and a better post defender who can use his strength and weight to keep opposing players out of the paint.

Winner: John Wall

Overall: John Wall

John Wall won in every aspect, dominated the match-up and is poised to become the best point guard in the league one day, watch out for him to take on tougher competition on TheSportsBoys very soon. 

The Evolution of PG's PT.2

    A you can probably tell I have a point guard obsession; facilitators, scorers, and especially defenders. A point guard can be used in any role, you can have your point guard score, rebound, defend and the biggest expectation of a point guard; make plays, when looking over those four subjects we rated all of our point guards for the list and for young point guards based on this list. Many PG's can score, some can defend well, a few can rebound and only a couple can truly make plays, In "The Evolution of PG's" we'll go over them.

Jrue Holiday:
Jrue Holiday is the perfect example of the old school NBA being brought into the future, Jrue is substance over style, he uses simple dribble moves to break down defenses, he wants to stop you, something PG's seem to stop doing now, Jrue stood up to Dwyane Wade and LeBron James scored some clutch threes and kept his cool in a somewhat lopsided series. Jrue has an excellent spin move, amazing length, his leadership seems to be there and endurance is unbelievable, Jrue brings some 90's into the decage of the 10's and let's see if he evolves into a Y2K PG.





Brandon Jennings:

Brandon Jennings is an almost perfect example of a post Y2K PG, Jennings is style over substance and takes it as far as you can, he uses complicated dribble moves that don't work half the time, play average defense at most and benefits from the rule changes excellently, and he hasn't even reached his peak. Brandon Jennings takes advantage of the rule changes fully, and he's still throwing up bricks and misses like he's Isiah Thomas for three. I love B-Jennings but the man needs substance!

John Wall:
Now John Wall is a nice hybrid, Wall gives it his all on D, takes over on O and rebounds with ease, He's what we need... John Wall is the next legend, one of few true franchise players, you can put him in any system and he will still find a way to contribute, He's got the attitude of a toned down GP, the speed, quickness and agility of an Allen Iverson or Kevin Johnson and the moves to do what he wants with you. John Wall is what a Y2K PG should be; a blast from the past with the nowadays style too, to be flashy doesn't mean you have to be inefficient but it also doesn't mean you can't use regular moves, John Wall needs a J and to cut his turnovers drastically but he like many other Y2K PG's is fun to watch, but unlike the others he doesn't sacrifice his efficiency.

We Reminisce about the Future!

Let's have some fun reminiscing about the 90's while thinking about the future, Hakeem Olajuwon has been mentoring Dwight Howard and TheSportsBoys have been thinking, if they say the 80's had the best basketball and the 90's had the best players, we need a mix. Players from the 90's would make excellent mentors and here we're gonna write ceilings for each player and who should help them with their games, to be sure this is not what players should try and copy its who should help them.


DeJuan Blair:
 Dejuan needs to learn post moves from TD, if it weren't for TD TP would not be close to what he is today, Blair  has showed great potential as a center even though he has no knees. With Tim Duncan getting older DeJuan Blair should be a good replacement.


Ceiling: DeJuan Blair can be an one of the best post players in the league and can be one the best centers. Blair can also take pressure off Corey Joseph if he becomes a great post player by Joseph having someone to pass to, if Blair reaches his full potential Cory Joseph has a better chance of reaching his full potential and those two reaching full potential together could help win championship.




Mentor: Tim Duncan




Comparison: Anthony Mason




Rudy Gay:
 Rudy Gay needs to learn how to drive to the basket like a young Jerry Stackhouse. Stack was a beast when driving to the hoop, Rudy is already a good streak shooter and if he can add the Stackhouse drive tomahawk to his game he will be truly terrific, If he can meet with Stack and see how Stack played offense in the late 90's to 2003 he will lead the Grizzlies to a conference championship, with OJ Mayo, Conley, Randolph and Gasol around a player similar to Stackhouse will become a champion and one of the greats.


Ceiling: Gay could be a 27-5-4 guy with 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks, he could be the difference between a 2nd round outing and a conference championship.




Mentor: Jerry Stackhouse




Comparison: Grant Hill


Jrue Holiday:
Jrue Holiday needs to hone his defensive skills by fouling less and trying to steal a bit more. He doesn't have top speed so he should learn from GP and gain a post game, with his outside shot and post up game defenses will be forced to play him honestly which will open up for the passing game. If Jrue reaches the level of defense that his intangibles allow he will become the premier defender of his era, a glove with less swagger and less scoring.


Ceiling: Jrue's Ceiling is an excellent defender who could put together 23-6-9 with 6 steals on a good night, he could become a true shutdown defender and rebound as well as any PG before him. his averages cold reach 19-6-9 if he does what I think he can.




Mentor: Gary Payton




Comparison: Sam Cassell




Terrence Williams:
Terrence needs to be more consistent in his shooting and use his speed to get open jump shots instead of driving to the hoop, if he doesn't add another style to his game he'll end up another Omar Gooding, a player excellent at his specialty (hood teenager) instead of someone who can play multiple roles (Taj Mowry). If T-WiLL adds a J as Pippen or Iguodala has he will become a master of the SF-SG-PG hybrid. Pippen can also help him learn to master his athletic style of defending which could result in Terrence ending up one of the greatest defenders ever.


Ceiling: T-WiLL is an excellent defender, great rebounder and amazing playmaker, if he fulfills his potential he can be better than Iguodala and throw up 19-8-7 nightly and on a good night hit you with a 21-11-13 that's right, T-WiLL has the potential to do that! T-WiLL can become a good scorer, not an excellent one as he doesn't have the mentality but a good one nonetheless, he has amazing athleticism and easily gets to the line, and T-WiLL is a triple double waiting to happen.T-WiLL is an excellent defender, great rebounder and amazing playmaker, if he fulfills his potential he can be better than Iguodala and throw up 19-8-7 nightly and on a good night hit you with a 21-11-13 that's right, T-WiLL has the potential to do that! T-WiLL can become a good scorer, not an excellent one as he doesn't have the mentality but a good one nonetheless, he has amazing athleticism and easily gets to the line, and T-WiLL is a triple double waiting to happen.




Mentor: Scottie Pippen




Comparison: Andre Iguodala




Marcus Thornton:
 Movement without the ball, something much needed by the Sacramento Kings scorer's, if Thornton can learn that he'll become the highest scoring guy and a player that the Kings will give big minutes compared to the others on the Kings roster. His details are biggest if he hits his ceiling, otherwise he'll be just another 18 PPG guy who can explode once in a while, hopefully he keeps putting a body on defenders on his way to the rim.Movement without the ball, something much needed by the Sacramento Kings scorer's, if Thornton can learn that he'll become the highest scoring guy and a player that the Kings will give big minutes compared to the others on the Kings roster. His details are biggest if he hits his full potential. Jamal Mashburn was an excellent handler, and had even better movement, if he could walk Marcus through it Thornton could be legendary.


Ceiling: Marcus is a very sweet shooter who can be deadly from anywhere on the floor, I think in his prime if he learns to move without the ball he could become the number one option on a team full of scorers and if he keeps using his body while driving he could one day average a 24-4-5 and become an unstoppable player while driving.




Mentor: Jamal Mashburn




Comparison: Jason Terry




DeMar DeRozan:
DeMar needs an outside shot, he is an unbelievably fast SG, with athleticism that wows the world... but that three point jumper is garbage, he spent his second year gaining a more consistent jumper inside the line but now he needs one outside. DeMar gaining an outside jumper will force defenders to play him honestly ( like they do for Derrick Rose) that will also open up for his quickness (again like Rose), DeMar could be an All-Star on a non All-Star team which cold lead to him scoring excessive scoring, the only thing that is slowing him down right now is his J, and that's where Dominique an help him.

Ceiling: DeMar's ceiling is pretty high, his speed helps him evade defenders and if he gains superior handles and an outside shot we could be looking at a potential All-NBA player, Dominique's help mentoring the kid could bring him to 28-3-3 and 47% from the field, but it might leave a hole in his D, let's hope he learns from Dominique, gets the proper O but learns from his mistakes and plays D. If DeMar masters what the great 90's scorers didn't he'll be All-Time.


Mentor: Dominique Wilkins


Comparison: Clyde Drexler

DeMarcus Cousins:
DeMarcus is a HUGE prospect, as in huge talent and huge player, he needs to learn to use his weight like Shaq, which i'm sure Shaq could teach him in-between many jokes and establish himself in the paint more, he needs to be a brute force the way Dwight Howard, Shaq and Shawn Kemp were, he also needs to keep working on his mid range game and his presence on defense, if he does that nothing will stop him.


Ceiling: There is nothing to say about Cousins future other than he could average a 28-11-3 on 57% shooting if he lives up to the hype.


Mentor: Shaquille O'Neal


Comparison: Chris Webber

Evan Turner:
Brandon Roy PT 2, the good thing is his knees are already surviving, the bad thing is he has an inconsistent outside jumper, Evan shows promise and with the help of Stevie Franchise could become an excellent handler who would fit as Philly's number one guy, drop points and dirty handling on any defender and help lead Philly to it's first basketball importance since Allen Iverson was kicked out.

Ceiling: look at Roy's stats from 08-09 and you'll see little difference, 21-4-3 and a nice 35% from deep is what I feel Evan Turner can bring to the table!


Mentor: Steve Francis



Comparison: Brandon Roy

Stephen Curry:
Curry and Hardaway both have/had quick hands, quicker releases and even quicker crosses, if Curry takes a note and learns how to use his crosses and hands effectivily a la Tim Hardaway we're looking at Golden State relevance outside a dunk contest, that's right!

Ceiling: Stephen Curry's ceiling is Tim Hardaways 1996-96 season just wait, you'll see!


Mentor: Tim Hardaway


Comparison: Tim Hardaway

Klay Thompson:
Klay is too hard to tell before we see an NBA game but as we did with other rookies I just wanted to list our ceilings and info so far.

Ceiling: A poor man's Miller, with that being said Reggie's 90-91 season will be a fine career best for this young man.


Mentor: Reggie Miller


Comparison: Mitch Richmond

J.R. Smith:
A deadly shooter from wherever needs to buckle down and play D, Dumars can help and if JR does what Dumars says I think he'll end up a perennial All-Star.

Ceiling: Does a 26-4-4 sound good? how about on 47 from the field and 46 from 3? Ladies and gentlemen J.R. Smith!


Mentor: Joe Dumars


Comparison: Jason Richardson

Russell Westbrook:


Ceiling:


Mentor: Gary Payton


Comparison: Kevin Johnson

Landry Fields:
A new age Starks with no anger problem should be an excellent 6th man and great starter, in a couple of year Landry will be at least that, shooting three's like Starks back in the day and proving he should've been picked higher he can hit consistently and just needs to learn to pass and defend like John, that's all there is to be said around the new John Starks

Ceiling: 19-4-3 that's something possible next year for him but a 20-4-4 is what I think he can give us in his prime!


Mentor: John Starks


Comparison: John Starks

Tristan Thompson:
Once again hasn't played

Ceiling: I'd say a 22-8-2 is in order for the lefty from Texas.


Mentor: Kevin Garnett


Comparison: LaMarcus Aldridge

Derrick Rose:
Little can be done to stop the reincarnation of NBA Kevin Johnson, all he needs is a new Charles Barkley and we're set for Chicago championships, Derrick Rose needs a more consistent jump shot and do what KJ did in 89-90 I fear he can't but with KJ's help who knows?

Ceiling: Derrick hitting his ceiling would bring us an unstoppable scoring PG who could give your team a 25-3-9 on 46 percent shooting and 32% from downtown, not to mention a ring.


Mentor: Kevin Johnson


Comparison: Kevin Johnson

 JaJuan Johnson:
A good post defender with a good chance of becoming an all-star with the veterans and coaches he's surrounded by.

Ceiling: Who knows?


Mentor: Dikembe Mutombo


Comparison: DeJuan Blair

Brandon Jennings:
A scorer who need efficiency he can learn from Mark Jackson and if he can pass like Jax we're looking at Young Money becoming a top tier PG, instead of a ghetto pride baller. Jennings needs to be less flashy and learn to get to the rim like Mark Jackson, Mark was able to get there on command and with his help Jennings could shoot over 39%!

Ceiling: 23-8-3 is nothing to sneeze at, especially when Jennings ups his percentages to 47% FG and 43% 3FG, now that's good!


Mentor: Mark Jackson


Comparison: Allen Iverson

JaVale McGee:
If McGee learns from Sampson he won't be in foul trouble he'll be excellent on the break and better in both posts, the thing is McGee is one of the most unsure prospects in the league.

Ceiling: nothing is clear for the young man, but I think he can bring around 3.7 BPG to a defense.


Mentor: Ralph Sampson


Comparison: Marcus Camby

Nick Young:
Nick can become an unbelievable shooter who can come of the smallest of screens and score, if Houston teaches him his without ball movement Young can become a great 2nd best player and maybe make a couple all-star teams.

Ceiling: Allan Houston's 02-03 season seems to be in order.


Mentor: Allan Houston


Comparison: Hersey Hawkins

Blake Griffin:
Blake has nothing to learn other than to learn from Shawn's mistakes, he needs to learn not to be ungrateful and to learn to be patient. One of the NBA's true franchise players does not need to be corrupt by money.

Ceiling: 27-14-4 on 55% FG...


Mentor: Shawn Kemp


Comparison: Shawn Kemp

Jordan Crawford:
One of the best young hybrid's in the league has an unbelievable upside, his D could use work and his O needs consistency but Jordan filled in as a solid PG for Wall and an excellent SG for Young, if he hones his talent we're looking at a huge trade chip, excellent player and top scorer. Jordan need's to be tougher and work on his consistency and we will see 39 point nights come up much more.

Ceiling: 27 PPG with 5 assists and 4 rebounds, that's pretty good, especially on 47% FG and a cold blodded 42% 3FG! Cold as Ice!


Mentor: Latrell Sprewell


Comparison: Jamal Crawford

 Kyrie Irving:
A nasty cross that can become anything from a rich man's Chauncey Billups to a poor man's Isiah Thomas, let's see where this goes!

Ceiling: ???


Mentor: Isiah Thomas


Comparison: Nick Van Exel

John Wall:

The best PG prospect since Chris Paul can become *GULP* better than Gary Payton, Gary is my favorite player and no one will ever be a better defender, but John Wall has the length, talent and athleticism to be better, he has the same length with smaller hands, same amount of talent, but his athleticism is off the charts (for those of you that didn't know GP was very athletic but didn't use it to dunk on opponents) as he's already almost a 1993-93 Payton with more turnovers and assists. John Wall has the weight to be a better post player than Payton if he learns Payton's moves, he can be as good a defender based on size, length, athleticism and determination, overall John Wall has the tool's to be a better PG than almost anyone before him, he can block, handle, steal, pass, score, if he gains a good jump shot as Payton did he can become unstoppable and with a young talented Wizards team like the one he's on he can evolve into something we haven't seen before. If John Wall and Gary Payton work together we could see five straight years of 99-00 Gary Payton, John Wall could become the greatest point guard ever (He may one day, unlikely but with his overall package maybe, I don't think he will but he may). John Wall has the tools to become a top 10 player ever, it's just a matter of if he'll use it or not.

Ceiling: John Wall's ceiling is higher than one of those rich people houses you see on MTV Cribs, Wall is already a great defender, an amazing passer, another triple double waiting to happen and he has the speed to cut through any defense, John Wall's ceiling could be a 24-12-7 on 45% shooting and 33% three point shooting, but he could also give you 2.3 steals and 2.9 turnovers which is excellent and almost unbelievable, John Wall is like a mix of Gary Payton and Kevin Johnson, he'll leave you in the dust on O draw a double team and kick it to the open man, and then he'll strip you of the ball on D sprint to the basket and then hang on the rim to show you who's boss! John Wall is what I've been waiting for since 2003, a player with swagger who will trash talk and then back it up, I don't know what else you could want from a PG!




Mentor: Gary Payton




Comparison: Gary Payton