The Washington Wizards’ already disappointing season has another roadblock, as star guard John Wall is set to see a specialist for his lingering heel issue. Scott Brooks announced the news before Friday’s 101-92 loss to the Chicago Bulls, per Candace Buckner of the Washington Post.
Wall has been bothered by the bones spurs in his heel in the past couple of weeks. He posted one point in an upset loss to the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 8. It was then we learned of the heel issue.
He missed the following game against Indiana on Dec. 10. Wall since returned to the team, playing in seven of the Wizards’ eight games before Friday’s game against Chicago, however, his play has been inconsistent in that span.
Wall had 34 points, 13 assists, and six rebounds on Dec. 12 against the Boston Celtics, logging 40 minutes in the close loss. However, he struggled mightily the next game on Dec. 14 against the Nets, posting 17 points and 13 assists, but was 1-of-7 from three-point range, settling for jumpers instead of being aggressive driving.
That pattern has continued ever since. He posted 40 points and 15 assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 16, shooting 16-of-27 from the field. However, he had 15 points and six assists in a Dec. 18 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Again, he struggled with movement settling for 11 three-point attempts, making just three.
He combined for 25 points and 6-of-19 shooting in the next two games he played — both losses, missing a Dec. 22 game against Phoenix in the process.
In his previous game against Detroit, he had a somewhat better showing with 21 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, shooting 9-of-14 from the field in another Wizards’ loss. At times he was aggressive and others settling for jumpers, shooting 2-of-7 from three.
For every good aggressive game, there’s been one or two lethargic, settling for jumpers games that have followed, which presumably may be a direct byproduct of being bothered by his heel.
Wall will meet with Green Bay Packers associate physician Dr. Robert Anderson, according to David Aldridge of the Athletic. Anderson has operated on several sports stars such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Cam Newton.
Only time will tell what the results of his visit with Dr. Anderson to see what will be Wall’s next move.
Washington continues to regress and show no progress after winning 49 games and coming one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-17. Since then, Wall has been plagued with injuries, missing 41 games last season as the Wizards finished with the No. 8 seed and their first, first-round exit of the playoffs during the John Wall era.
This season, the Wizards are now 13-23 following Friday’s loss to the Bulls. They are 11th in the Eastern Conference standings and 4.5 games out of the seventh and eight seed.
