The LA Clippers entered the offseason needing to upgrade the point guard position. By the end of the 2021-22 NBA season, after making some changes to their roster throughout the season, the only ball-handler they had in some situations was Reggie Jackson.
So, they took full advantage following John Wall’s buyout with the Houston Rockets. Wall sat out the entirety of last season as the Rockets searched out a team to trade him to. Nothing came to fruition and after opting into his contract for the 2022-23 season, the two sides agreed to work on a buyout.
Shortly after that, it was announced that Wall would be heading to Los Angeles, where he will compete with Jackson for the starting point guard spot. It is an opportunity that he is looking forward to, as he no longer has to carry a team on his own with the talent already in place on the roster.
“I don’t have to do it every night, I don’t have to be Batman every night for us to win,” Wall said on Saturday at the Las Vegas Summer League. “That’s the ultimate goal for me is [at] this part of my career, I don’t want to have to be the Batman every night to try to win. On our team that we have, I think anyone can be Batman.”
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That is certainly the case with the Clippers, who will be relying on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to do the heavy lifting. Both players missed significant time last season, as Leonard missed the entire season after injuring his knee in the second round of the 2021 NBA Postseason. George played in only 31 games in the regular season as he dealt with an elbow injury.
The Clippers are putting a lot of hope into players that have missed a lot of time in recent seasons. John Wall has played only 40 games the last three seasons, so it is fair to wonder what he can bring to the table. He is confident that he can still produce as he once did.
“I still got all the stuff I had in 2016,” he said. “But like, yeah, I only played 40 games [two seasons ago], but last year wasn’t my fault or my choice, and I couldn’t control that.”
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The Rockets opted to hold Wall out and while there were discussions about him returning after a trade was ruled out, he ultimately remained sidelined. In those 40 games during the 2020-21 season, Wall averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.2 minutes per game.
While he likely won’t see as many scoring chances with Los Angeles, he knows there will be opportunities for him to make the most of it.
“It is going to be harder for them to defend,” Wall said. “For me, I’m happy because I don’t have to have the best player guarding me every night like I have had my whole career.
“You tell me the third-best defender is going to have to guard me? Good luck.”
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The Clippers have title aspirations and John Wall will help them try and achieve those goals. Even if he isn’t the starting point guard, he will help fill a void that last season’s roster had.
