John Wall is only two years removed from high school and he’s faced with being Washington’s franchise player along with the battling the savvy (and sometimes dirty) veterans of the NBA. With that kind of pressure, you gladly accept any advice you can get. Especially if that advice is coming from Jason Kidd.
In fact, many are saying John Wall [B]IS[/B] the next Jason Kidd!
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Originally Posted by Sacbee.com….[INDENT][I]In a way, it’s almost as if John Wall is the second coming of Jason Kidd. Which is why Kidd didn’t mind offering some advice for his Wizards counterpart.[/I]
[I] “You’re not going to come in quietly and surprise anybody,” Kidd said.[/I]
[I] “You’re on the radar, and it’s kind of a platform. “Do you accept that challenge, or do you want to shy away from it? I think he’s a guy that has accepted that challenge and has done quite well.” [/I]
[I] The Mavs (31-15) will get their first look at Wall when they entertain the Wizards (13-33) Monday night at American Airlines Center.[/I]
[I] Wall averages 15 points, 4.0 rebounds and is fifth in the league with 9.3 assists per game. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound point guard has missed 12 games with various injuries but has established himself as a player who has mega-star potential.[/I]
[I] “He’s a good, solid rookie,” Mavs guard Jason Terry said. “He plays with reckless abandon.[/I]
[I] “He reminds me of a young (Russell) Westbrook, Derrick Rose. He plays with tons of energy and he’s fast as lightning.” Dominique Wilkins said it’s up to Wall whether he can live up to the hype associated with being a No. 1 overall draft choice. As the No. 3 overall pick in the 1982 draft after leaving Georgia following his junior season, Wilkins also had a huge build-up to his NBA rookie season.[/I]
[I] Wilkins, who turned 50 earlier this month, acknowledged that Wall has a gift that if harnessed properly could net him star status for many, many years.[/I]
[I] “He has a lot of potential and he’s still got a lot to learn about the NBA game,” Wilkins said. [/I]
[I] “But he’s a kid who has all the right tools to be a great point guard in this league.[/I]
[I] “He has super quickness, he has great court awareness. It’s just up to him how good he becomes.” [/I]
[I] Wilkins, known as the Human Highlight Film because of his various assortments of dunks, said Wall also has to learn how to deal with the pressure attached to being a high draft pick.[/I]
[I] “Any time you’re a highly sought-after young guy coming into this league, there’s a lot of pressure on you,” Wilkins said. “But, hey, that’s what this is about.[/I]
[I] “That’s why you compete. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”[/I]
[I] Rick Sund, the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, said although Wall is obviously a decorated player, fans must not expect too much too fast.[/I]
[I] “He’s obviously got a lot of physical tools and eventually he’s going to be a very, very good player,” Sund said. “He’s a good player now, but he’s going to be a very, very good player in time.[/I]
[I] “But you’ve got to go through the process.”[/I]
[I] Part of that process, Kidd said, is adjusting to the high expectations, the travel, the 82-game schedule and the overwhelming media attention.[/I]
[I] Kidd also noted that Wall must learn how to take care of his body and get his proper rest.[/I]
[I] “Just trying to stay healthy, and then also understanding the level that you have to play when you have that attention,” Kidd said. “He is talented and he understands how to play.[/I]
[/INDENT]You can [URL=”http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/30/3364135/wizards-wall-is-so-good-still.html”]read the entire article here…
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[B]Here’s a nice look at John Wall’s start in the NBA…[/B]
[youtube_sc width=430 url=4i2HI2pbYfA]
