Just a couple of years ago, John Wall was proving himself to be one of the most effective players in the entire NBA. He even signed a huge supermax contract that Washington Wizards fans were excited about at the time. Unfortunately, injuries have been plaguing Wall and he is probably going to miss all of next season with an Achilles injury. Despite these major setbacks, Wall is still motivated to show people that he is capable of coming back and being one of the best players in the entire NBA. During a recent interview with Michael Lee of The Athletic, Wall spoke about his recent injury and how he wants to prove that he was deserving of his mega-deal all along.
"It fuels me. [The 20]16-17 [season] was my best year. [Averaged] 23 [points] and 11 [assists]. John Wall is a top-two point guard. I get injured. John Wall is not a top-five point guard? Now, because I'm injured, I can't defend myself. Now I've got the worst contract ever? That's fine. I deserved that contract. My whole mindset is—it's in my notes—I didn't deserve it? When I come back, I'm going to show them I earned it. I never want a handout. I always worked for mine. A lot of guys got a lot of stuff that's given. Never made McDonald's All-American. Took national player of the year away from me when I was in college. OK, I'm the No. 1 pick. I'm going to prove myself. You get the hype. I look back at it. My '09 class in high school, I can only name probably nine guys in the league. Out of my draft class, it's maybe eight guys in the league. It is what it is."
While we won't be seeing Wall until the 2020-2021 season, Wizards fans should be hopeful that his determination will help be the player he once was despite such a devastating injury