NBA Special: Washington Wizards’ John Wall crowned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month
On Tuesday, the league conferred Washington Wizards’ John Wall as the Eastern Conference ‘rookie of the month’ for the games played through January.
Wall is the first rookie in National Basketball Association (NBA) history to have nine or more assists in 10 consecutive games during a month. Moreover, Wall's sizzling 168 assists in the month were the most by any rookie since Mark Jackson of Houston Rockets had 172 assists in 1988.
The 20-years-old guard led all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (13.9 points per game), assists (10.5 assists per game), and double-doubles in the month. Wall played in all 16 games in January and collected 10 double-doubles leading the Wizards to a 5-11 record. He had five games with 13 or more assists, and ranks fifth in the league in assists at 9.3 per game.
The most positive aspect of Wall’s achievement is that he played in every game, even though he was suffering with a host of injuries on his left foot, both knees, and a deep gash on his left thumb from a floor burn.
He is also the first Wizard since Brendan Haywood in December of 2001, to win the Rookie of the Month crown.
John’s January was highlighted by four mind-boggling performances.
January 5 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
John Wall scored 18 points and dished 14 assists in Washington Wizard’s 109-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on January 5 at Wells Fargo Center. It was not his best effort of the season, but it was more than enough to keep the Wizards in the game.
January 11 vs. Sacramento Kings
Wall contributed 22 points, six rebounds, nine assists and two steals as Washington held on to an impressive 136-133 victory over the Sacramento Kings on January 11 at Verizon Center.
January 17 vs. Utah Jazz
Standing 6 feet 4 inch, Wall scored 19 points and had a career-high 15 assists to lead the Wizards to a 108-101 win over the Utah Jazz on January 17 at Verizon Center.
January 22 vs. Boston Celtics
The No.1 draft pick of 2010 registered 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists in an 85-83 victory over the Boston Celtics on January 22 at Verizon Center. In addition to that, it was his 3-pointer with 57.7 seconds left in the game that broke a tie and led the Wizards to an upset win over the mighty C’s.
The fantastic season of Wizards’ prodigy got another silver lining on Tuesday when it was announced by NBA that he had been selected to showcase his brilliance in the in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. The Rookie Challenge will take place on Friday, February 18th at Staples Center in Los Angeles as part of the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Tags: