John Wall, who is worth 47.2 million next season, has the same level of contract difficulty as Russell Westbrook of the Lakers. Even if he still averages 20 points per game, it is difficult to reach a deal. Finally, Wall will reach a buyout with the Houston Rockets to restore his freedom, and according to reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, he plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers next, and his good brother Paul George is the first to post on IG suggesting that even without official confirmation, But the chances for other teams may already be low.
Further reading:The ‘reasonable and unreasonable’ of the LA Clippers’ Kyrie Irving trade rumors
Will the Clippers, who have always been considered lacking in point guards, get the star-level John Wall following Rajon Rondo the final answer? I don’t think so, but whether it’s competing for Kyrie Irving or Wall, who previously had a contract of 47.2 million, the salary balance price of the deal is too great to start with Wall at a mini-middle (regarding 6.3 million) or lower, It’s more than 40 million cheaper, who doesn’t love it?
Are the Clippers really short of point guards? There have always been differences of opinion, and even Director Lawrence Frank admitted that there have been disputes within the Clippers. Going back to the 2021 playoffs, which is the closest to the championship, the biggest defeat for the Clippers is Kawhi Leonard’s season reimbursement. Facing the Lone Ranger led by Luka Dončić, they did not gain an advantage due to Rondo’s organizational leadership, but chose to give up in the second half. Yes, the Jazz with Rudy Gobert met in the second round, and they also won by hand-to-hand combat with DeMarcus Cousins and Ivica Zubac. The key to winning all the way to the Western Championship is the “sea of strikers”, so there is a school of thought that the Clippers can still manage accurately without a point guard.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue’s system emphasizes the flow of the ball. When everyone has a sense of passing, do you still need a court commander? Frank has mentioned the same set of concepts many times. He does not deny that the Clippers lack ball control, but points out that 60% of the ball is in the hands of the double stars. He believes that the striker can also share part of the ball control responsibilities. Wait and see, but when Wall’s special price of 40 million came to the door in person, Frank obviously mightn’t refuse.
Speaking of the reason why Rondo was abandoned in the playoffs, it seems that 70% can be directly applied to Wall. Except for the first 2 years, Wall’s usage rate (USG%) has not been lower than 25 in a year, and it has always been the absolute number one in the long run. The ball handler, and even his former partner, Bradley Beal, isn’t the type that sticks a lot. Leonard and George will be the first time Wall’s teammates in his career are paired with a teammate who is far ahead of himself, and two at a time. Does Wall demonstrate enough off-ball skills? It is still the biggest doubt. He is not good at air cutting and outside shooting. The Clippers cannot build a system around a new ball-handling player. Reggie Jackson is still a more suitable starting candidate in a short period of time.
Although Wall still has a good ability to cut and break through, and is an offensive method that the Clippers rarely have, his greatest value is still “the field commander”, with excellent vision and tactical understanding. It is expected that he will start from the bench at the beginning of the season, except for Being able to let go and get back the feel on the court and, more importantly, take back the ball-handling work of Terance Mann and Luke Kennard and put them back in more familiar offensive positions, Wall’s value in the regular season is unquestionable, it’s just how It still takes time to prove that the “core rotation” squeezed into the playoffs is integrated into the speedboat play.
As for Wall, who hasn’t played for a whole season, the good thing is that he has adequately maintained his physical condition following years of injury. The downside is that the actual state is unknown. However, Wall is a good player with great self-discipline, so maybe you don’t need to worry too much regarding it.
With the addition of John Wall, the Clippers have raised several problems. One is the full backcourt. When the double star returns to the starting lineup, Norman Powell will return to the bench. At this time, Mann and Kennard are biased towards No. 2 and No. 3. It is difficult for the three of them to be the No. 4 for a long time. The backcourt is crowded and short to a certain extent. In addition, Lawrence Frank insists that he does not want to sell Kennard. How to allocate playing time and rotation will be Ty Lue’s. The first test. The second is salary. If the middle-class quota is given to Wall, does it mean that Isaiah Hartenstein, who performed well last quarter, can only get a slight salary increase of 120%? In the face of competition from other teams in the market, there are still certain variables in whether they can stay by favor.
All in all, Wall will be the Clippers’ strongest point guard since Chris Paul left the team, and at a very low price, he had to reluctantly (emotionally) send Lou Williams and the draft lottery to trade Rondo, which is definitely a fortune. With a low-risk and high-reward investment, you can still expect Wall to provide a full range of offensive skills, as well as excellent court vision and judgment, adding speedboats’ offensive options, and Wall also has a certain defensive strength. Praise Youjia’s good teammates, these conditions are beyond the reach of the mini-middle class.
【Free market FA extension】
NBA free market gameplay is different!Don’t expect big buyers of “salary space” this summer
