John Wall said he views himself as the Rockets’ franchise player.
In a certain sense, sure. A five-time All-Star, Wall is the only current Houston player who has ever made an All-Star team. He’s the Rockets’ highest-paid player and starting point guard – both roles that naturally lend themselves to leadership.
Wall might be the franchise player… on a last-place team in a post-James Harden hell.
But Wall holds himself in far higher regard than that.
Wall, via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
“I still think I’m an All-Star in this league,” Wall said. “I still think I’m a big-time player in this league. In the last two years, there’s a lot of talent that came into this league, and there’s a lot of guys that are still in this league that were talented before I got injured. But I feel like when I’m healthy, I can go against the best of them.”
Wall’s confidence has gotten him far. It has helped him through tough times. This might be the right attitude for him to take.
That doesn’t mean the rest of us should accept it at face value.
After missing more than two years due to injury, Wall dazzled early this season. But he has since fallen back down to earth.
He’s shooting 45% on 2-pointers and 32% on 3-pointers. His assists (10.1), rebounds (4.8) and steals (1.5) per 100 possessions are all career lows.
It’s a shame Wall’s career was so derailed by injury. But it was. He’s now on the wrong side of 30, unlikely to regain major athleticism.
Wall is holding his own as a starting point guard who has major playmaking responsibilities. That’s not an insignificant accomplishment given his health issues.
We can appreciate that without indulging in a fantasy he’s doing even more.
