In the Spotlight: John Wall

John Wall

Position: Point Guard

Ht: 6-3

Wt: 175

Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Class: Senior
College Options: Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, NC State, etc

Strengths

• Extremely fast with the ball in his hands… Gets up and down the court in a hurry, leading the fast break.
• Does a great job changing directions, keeping his defender off balance and on his heels.
• ATHLETE – He can flat out fly and he finishes well with both hands around the rim. He can really elevate and flush it down.
• Has a real knack for getting into the paint and penetrating past his defender.
• Great cross over dribble (both left to right and right to left)
• Shows a real burst when he accelerates; he’s able to turn it into another gear and leave his defender behind.
• Very solid left hesitation move that he uses to freeze his defender before he explodes left.
• At his best in the open court, but showed signs that he’s able to orchestrate and run the half-court offense as well
• Great court vision.
• Super quick with nimble feet
• Long Arms

Weaknesses

• Very flat jump shot that needs improving - His form needs some work… He has to be able to hit the mid range jumper and step out passed the three point line…Neither of which, John can do with consistency right now.
• Needs to be more assertive and go to the ball, not wait for his teammates to bring it to him.
• Played zero defense and didn’t work hard on the defensive end of the court. (it was an all-star game)
• John will definitely benefit from a year in college because he needs to add muscle. His natural build is of a thin frame; however John needs to add muscle to his upper body.
  

Player Comparison: Reminds me of Jamal Crawford…both his handle and frame; however John is a much more natural point guard.

Overall

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that John Wall has what it takes to be a solid NBA player. He can fly up the court with the ball in his hands and he’s phenomenal leading the break. He has great court vision and he doesn’t mind giving up the rock, or he can emphatically throw it down with either hand. His speed and quickness are evident, and he does a great job changing speeds and getting to the bucket.

It is imperative that John becomes a more consistent outside shooter. He needs to be able to knock down the jumper off the bounce and off the pass, which he’s unable to do right now. He also needs to improve his range, which will force the defense to play up on him, not sag back, making it easier for him to penetrate to the bucket. John also needs to commit himself to the defensive end and take pride in shutting down the opposition. He has great foot speed, but there were plenty of times that his feet were glued to the ground and thus he was beaten off the dribble.

The bottom line is that John has all the physical tools, talent and athleticism that will translate as his game progresses to the collegiate level and ultimately the pros. Look for him to be a one-and-done college player before entering the draft.

*Based off seeing John play at Elite 24 -8/22