Veteran point guard and former No. 1 overall draft pick John Wall is no longer in the NBA. He's been seeking a new home, but to no avail.
And if you ask Wall, that's too bad. He could still have some success. After all, nobody plays defense — according to Wall.
Instead, today's NBA resembles a pickup game at your local park, as modern rules almost forbid players to guard one another. That's especially the case on the perimeter, turning what was once a great league into something resembling a 3-point shooting contest.
"It's hard to watch because nobody's playing defense. There's a lot of shots...for me it's like playing pickup," Wall said on the OG Show. "If you want a bucket, you can go get a bucket. You want to go one-on-one, go one-on-one."
John Wall says today?s NBA is hard to watch
?Nobody is playing defense.?
(? @theOGsShow / https://t.co/uSPrL11Xbo) pic.twitter.com/CZdy7w53SY
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 17, 2024
The man makes a valid point. No team shoots less than 30 threes a game — and the Boston Celtics hoist up a whopping 42 a night.
Good grief.
On the bright side, the NBA competition committee is expected to add some defensive elements back to the rulebook this summer. Yes, all the cool kids love NBA 2K. But that doesn't mean the real thing has to look exactly like it.
Three-point attempts are good. But like anything anywhere, how much is too much? That is where the league is today.
Wall, 33, showed he still had some game left during a run with the Los Angeles Clippers last season, when he averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists in 34 appearances. He was then traded to the Houston Rockets at the deadline in February 2023, immediately waived, and hasn't been on a team since.
The Washington Wizards selected Wall with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He spent nine seasons there, making the All-Star team five times.
John Wall was the No. 1 overall pick by the Washington Wizards. (Getty)
