John Wall looking to make Washington Wizards a title contender – NBA News
It’s official. On Thursday, the Washington Wizards formally inked a 5 year - $ 80 million deal with their star point guard John Wall.
The Wizards envision this deal as the start of a golden era, which can hopefully lead to a NBA championship soon.
For Wall, it is an opportunity to assert himself as a leader.
"My main thing as a person, I'm not a follower. I like to be a leader," Wall said. "I feel like I would have had the opportunity to go anywhere," Wall continued. "I feel like I'd be a follower trying to build a legacy somewhere else. I feel like I'm a person who gives my word and my commitment to where I started and that's where I'd like to finish.
"We haven't been to the promised land of winning a championship for years. I know we're a long way from there, but that's my main goal before my career is done, to win one here."
The Wizards have, in the last few years, established a young and talented core also including Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr, and with Wall healthy and motivated, they really have a good shot of at least qualifying for the Eastern Conference playoffs, something which they haven’t been able to do ever since Wall was drafted as the number one pick in 2010 NBA Draft.
Wall’s first three years in the league have been disappointing to say the least. He has not emerged as a player who can carry the load of the entire team on his shoulders and motivate them into playing well, unlike the likes of Derrick Rose and more recently Damian Lillard. During the last season, he did show signs of maturity, but 24 wins in a total of 49 games he played, don’t really justify the investment made in him.
The Wizards have however persisted with the guard, and still believe that he has the potential to become the lynchpin of their team. Whether they are right or wrong – only time will tell. But, what is for sure is that Wall will have to raise his game to justify his huge paycheck.
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