Rookie Wall weathers early jitters, scores 24 in debut for Wizards
The box office had closed 30 minutes prior to tip-off. Every seat was taken, and people ringed the court at Cox Pavilion, standing in every available space. Even the NBA coaches and executives, who get two entire sections to themselves, had to share their territory with the common folk.
Welcome to the NBA Summer League, where hype happens.
John Wall was making his debut for the Washington Wizards on Sunday, and many of the 2,500 in attendance wanted to see if the No. 1 overall draft pick was the real deal. After a slow start, the one-and-done Kentucky star point guard got his game in gear and finished with 24 points and eight assists in helping lead the Wizards to an 84-79 win over Golden State.
His one wart? Eight turnovers.
“I feel like I did OK,” Wall said. “I hadn’t played in a game since I was at Kentucky. All I’ve been doing was working out. I was happy to be with the team I’m with. There was a lot of excitement.
“But I feel like I have to cut down on my turnovers. Eight is way too many. I need to get it down to one or none. But I think as I get more comfortable with my teammates, that’ll come.”
Wizards coach Flip Saunders wasn’t containing his enthusiasm about his rookie point guard after watching him play in an NBA environment for the first time.
“He’s got the potential to be one of the top point guards in the league and maybe be the best all-around guard,” Saunders said. “He has a speed higher than everyone else, and he has another speed higher than himself.
“Our guys are not used to him. Otherwise, he could have had four more assists.”
The 6-foot-4-inch rookie admitted he was nervous about his debut. Wall was struggling to find a rhythm offensively as he began 1 of 5 from the floor. He also struggled to get a handle on the basketball, which is bigger than the one he played with in college.
But a transition layup and foul late in the first quarter seemed to relax him.
“I was trying to do too much early in the game,” Wall said. “I wasn’t finding my teammates like I should. I needed to figure out where they were. I hit a camerman right in the face.
“But when I made that 3-point play, that helped settle me down.”
By the third quarter, he had his game in gear. He had 17 points with four minutes remaining and appeared to be playing with the kind of confidence he displayed at Kentucky.
And after the Wizards nearly squandered a 12-point fourth-quarter lead, Wall gave his team breathing room by knocking down two free throws with 17.4 seconds left to put Washington up, 80-76.
Wall made 10 of his 11 attempts from the foul line.
“Once he got those jitters out of him, he was fine,” said Sam Cassell, the Wizards’ Summer League head coach. “He’s only 19. He’s going to do nothing but improve.”
Wall said the atmosphere and wearing the Wizards’ No. 2 uniform for the first time were memories he would take from Sunday.
“If I stay humble and hungry and listen to the coaches, I know I’m going to get better,” Wall said.
Charlie Davis, a lifelong Kentucky fan from who grew up 20 minutes from Lexington and lives in Las Vegas, made sure he was among the 2,500 who got into Cox Pavilion on Sunday. He didn’t leave disappointed.
“That was about on par with what he did at UK,” Davis said. “He made Kentucky proud (Sunday).
“I think he’s going to be great. They’re going to have a (television) special on him when he goes free agent.”
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.