Inside The Wizards

Johnny Davis Has An Injury That Could Further Hinder His Game Play

After sitting down with the Inside the Wizards staff to get their perspectives on the team so far this season, Managing Editor Candi Waller shares her thoughts as well.
Candi Waller|
Johnny Davis Has An Injury That Could Further Hinder His Game Play
Johnny Davis Has An Injury That Could Further Hinder His Game Play

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What is your current assessment of the Wizards?

I think the Wizards are better than their current 10-8 record indicates. The team camaraderie is better this year as well. I think the loss of Delon Wright to injury early in the season hurt the team defensively. Hopefully once Delon is back, the defensive gaps can close a bit. The grit and ability to win ugly is nice but the Wizards are going to have to close games in dominant fashion if they want to be taken seriously in the long term.

Also, the injury bug is starting to set in. Let’s hope some of these injuries are not that serious that players have to be out longer than anticipated.

Which player(s) has/have been a surprise (pleasant or need for improvement) so far this season and why?

I’m going to mention the player that there has been much discussion about: Johnny Davis. Early impression of Davis have not been what is expected of a first-round draft pick. The transition from NCAA basketball to the NBA can be drastic indeed. There seems to be an overall confidence issue with Johnny on the NBA court that is raising some concerned eyebrows 20 regular season games. Now with him experiencing a groin issue, the likelihood that he will be deemed a bust is great. This is another leadership opportunity for Bradley Beal to take Johnny under his wing and help him through this transition. Johnny is a new dad and that along with the transition to the league can be a lot on anyone. Nonetheless, whatever mental/physical blockers there might be impacting him from obtaining success at this point in the season need to be alleviated quickly so that he can become an active contributor to the Wizards.

What are some of the challenges you've seen with the team in their first (close to) 20 games?

Defense and closing out games they should win. Beal has been inactive a few games but in some of these losses that should have been wins, he played. I’m anxiously awaiting the moment he takes over games to lead the Wizards to victory. For the Wizards to have long term success, he’s going to have to be that guy down the stretch when the game gets down to the wire.

What has been the favorite(s) player match-up (Wizards player vs Opposing Team player) so far?

Washington Wizards vs Cleveland Cavaliers. The Wizards lost that game, but I wanted to see a Beal vs Donovan Mitchell battle in OT. I am going to have these games circled later in the season.

What are the upcoming games you are looking forward to?

The Brooklyn Nets. The Wizards had an awful loss to the Nets early on this season. I want to see if they can bounce back from that. Of course, the return of John Wall to Capital One Arena is circled on my calendar.

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Candi Waller
CANDI WALLER

Candi Waller also known as "CWall" is the Founder and CEO of CWall® Sports & Entertainment, President of the CWall Foundation, Inc, the Managing Publisher of the Fan Nation Inside the Wizards site, and President of Bowie Television. A native of Gorgeous Prince George's County, Maryland, Candi has been an authentic lover of all sports since her childhood. She was such a sports fan at an early age that she notes one of her favorite childhood shows as the legendary "George Michael Sports Machine". Candi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hampton University, Master of Arts in Human Resource Development from The George Washington University and a certificate in Sports Industry Essentials from Columbia University.  Prior to and during her work in the sports industry, Candi has established her identity as a results-driven, relationship building advocate and professional with extensive years of experience leading and implementing successful strategic change, communications, and stakeholder engagement programs across geographically dispersed organizations. She’s worked across Big Four and Government Trusted Advisor consulting firms such as IBM, Deloitte, and the MITRE Corporation. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Women in Sports & Events (WISE), the National Press Club (NPC), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce and is an ambassador for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In terms of what she likes to do for fun, that’s just it…anything that is considered fun, she’s all for it! She’s very close to her parents, brother, and sister, and has a host of nieces, nephews, and godchildren. 

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