NBA Washington Wizards

5 Reasons Why Washington Wizards’ John Wall is On Verge of Being Elite

5 Reasons Why Washington Wizards Star PG John Wall is On Verge of Being Elite

John Wall
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

John Wall has stepped up his game since he came into the league, leading his team to the playoffs last season. Here are five reasons why Wall is on the verge of truly being elite:

5. On-Court Awareness

John Wall
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

5. On-Court Awareness

John Wall
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Wall's offensive and defensive awareness have both grown immensely from when he first came into the league. Wall is recognizing many more situations than before, which has helped him to become less mistake-prone and make the right play on more occasions.

4. Lane Penetration

John Wall
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

4. Lane Penetration

John Wall
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

There are few point guards who are better than Wall in terms of getting into the lane. In fact, he may arguably be the best at doing it along with Russell Westbrook. Wall's speed allows him to penetrate the lane and either get to the rim, draw a foul or pass the ball out to one of his snipers behind the three-point line. Wall's ability to create havoc inside the arc is one thing that will help him continue to be one of the best point guards.

3. Passing

John Wall
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

3. Passing

John Wall
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Wall has always been a terrific passer, probably better than most people would think because he can be such an electrifying scorer that passing sort of gets put on the back burner in favor of the other highlights. Wall's court vision is up there with some of the best point guards in the NBA, and that cannot be ignored, as the more he can get his teammates involved in a positive way, the better Wall will become as a playmaker.

2. Improved Shooting

John Wall
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

2. Improved Shooting

John Wall
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Wall came into the league and could not shoot the ball from anywhere, be it from mid-range or from three. Now, Wall has actually increased his percentages and has become respectable from distance. The more Wall can continue to improve his shot, the better chance he has at becoming unstoppable. It is already hard enough to keep Wall in front on defense, but if he can knock down shots, its lights out for the other team.

1. Commitment to Defense

John Wall
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

1. Commitment to Defense

John Wall
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Wall has completely bought into playing on both ends of the floor, which should be a scary thought for the rest of the league. When Wall wants to, he can be a lockdown defender capable of also playing the passing lanes and getting steals to push the ball in transition, which is almost impossible to stop once he gets going. Now that Wall is giving his full effort every game, there's no telling what his potential truly is.

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