Utah Jazz And Washington Wizards -
Franchise players in each NBA Team – NBA Feature Part 19
Utah Jazz – Al Jefferson
In the first season without Deron Williams, Utah Jazz made a brilliant run and qualified for the playoffs as the number eighth seeds in the highly competitive Western Conference.
The man who made it possible was none other than their centre Al Jefferson.
The 6 ft 10 in centre averaged 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game during the regular season and fancied a late season run which pushed the Jazz into the playoffs.
Going into the next season, he will be the main player for Utah, and if he continues to perform on a consistent basis the team can easily make it into the playoffs next season as well. The problem for Jazz is that Al Jefferson
is not a franchise changing star. He can single handedly win them game every now and then, but to be more formidable, Jazz need a solid scorer. They did not get one in the off season and next season can be another mediocre one for them.
Washington Wizards – John Wall
When Washington Wizards drafted John Wall as the number one pick two years back, they expected him to change the fortunes of the franchise immediately. However that hasn’t happened till date.
There is no doubt that Wall is a brilliant passer and can make his own plays as well, but he has failed to translate his talent onto the court. He averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 assists in his rookie year with 3.78 turnovers per
game and alarmingly for the Wizards, Wall mustered 16. 3 points, 8.0 assists with 3.86 turnovers last time around.
If anything Wall’s performance took a dip last season in which he managed a 42.3 percent shooting from the floor which included just 3 triple pointers in 42 attempts – a preposterous number which reflects on his selfish instinct.
One of the reasons behind Wall’s trouble might have been the supporting cast around him. Nick Young and JaVale McGee, the other two supposed pillars of the team, showed immaturity as well and were traded last season.
With the likes of Nene and the number third draft pick in Bradley Beal now surrounding Wall, the Wizards might get their main player firing on a more consistent basis.
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