Inside The Wizards

Ranking John Wall’s Best Seasons With Wizards

There's more than one to choose from, but these three in particular helped launch this Washington Wizards legend into stardom.
Mar 6, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) on the court before the game between the Washington Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images
Mar 6, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) on the court before the game between the Washington Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

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Some may say they broke the mold after they made former Washington Wizards guard John Wall. Straight from the University of Kentucky, the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft made headlines and highlight reels from the start. He announced his retirement from the NBA this week.

Wall became a household name after just a few seasons with the Washington Wizards. After eight seasons with his original team, he continued playing for a few more years in the Western Conference. Before that, the five-time All-Star made the Wizards one of the more exciting teams in the Southeast Division.

As Wall got older and injuries seemed to have piled up, his numbers went down since the peak of his career. Luckily for Wizards' fans, they got to see the best of his years playing for Washington.

Here are the three best seasons of Wall's career in a Wizards' uniform.

John Wall, Washington Wizards guard
Sep 30, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) poses for a portrait during Washington Wizards media day at Medstar Wizards Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Wizards' 2013-14 NBA Season

In the 2013-14 NBA season, Wall not only played and started all 82 games, but he also posted a career-best 80.5% from the free-throw line.

The former Kentucky Wildcat star recorded 20 double-doubles, Wall's most in any season. That's for more than the year before.

The Wizards' point guard struggled early on with his shot in the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. Half way through the opening round, Wall emerged.

Down 3-1 in the series, Wall scored 27 points to help the Wizards stave off elimination. Washington beat Indiana on the road 102-79. The eventually lost Game 6, unfortunately, to end the Wizards' season.

John Wall, Washington Wizards guar
Mar 4, 2020; Portland, Oregon, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Wizards' 2015-16 NBA Season

While the year before this one was great for John Wall, this one was even better. For the second season in a row, not only did the point guard average a double double, but he also scored increased his scoring and assists averages per game.

Despite the Wizards not making the playoffs, Wall ended that season with 13 double doubles in Washington's last 15 games.

That includes a game in March against the Atlanta Hawks in which Wall scored 27 points, dished out 14 assists. He also had a triple-double two games before that. In fact, in addition to it being his second of the season, both happened when Wall played the Philadelphia 76ers.

This all only set up the Wizards' star for greater the next season of his in Washington.

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall
Mar 10, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura (M) and injured Wizards guard John Wall (R) stand with teammates on the bench against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Wizards' 2016-17 NBA Season

During the 2016-17 NBA season, Wall shot his best from the floor. His 45.1% average was impressive. However, what was more impressive was that he also had career bests in assists, steals, and points per game that same season.

Wall's stat line in those 79 games was 23.1 points, 10.7 assists, 2.0 steals a game. The Wizards needed top performances like this in the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics.

Washington's star player averaged just over 25 points and 10 assists per game in that series. Sadly, it would be one of the last postseason appearances for Wall as the Wizards lost in the first round in the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

Current young players on the Wizards like Bud Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly can draw inspiration from Wall and his heroics playing for Washington. After an 11-year career, eight with the Wizards, Wall left his mark on the league.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!


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Scott Conrad
SCOTT CONRAD

My name is Scott Conrad and I am a Contributor for the Chicago Sky with Sports Illustrated.com. I am also a Contributor with FanSided on NinerNoise, as well as Da Windy City. In addition, I am the Site Editor/Expert for The View from Avalon. I spent two seasons (2015 & 2016) with the Tampa Bay Times as a Correspondent covering high school football. I am a two-time published author with more work to come. In my teenage years, I started watching both MLS and WNBA start in 1996 and grow to be the juggernauts they are in their respective sports. Much love to the career on and off the court for fellow-Napervillian and former Sky forward Candace Parker. Outside of the sports journalism world, I am a travel volleyball coach. I accepted the Head Coach position with Greater Cincinnati Volleyball Club for their U13-2 team. In terms of active sports, I play volleyball, soccer, softball, kickball and train in mixed martial arts.