Although it doesn’t look like he will be returning to the Washington Wizards in time for the possible resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season, point guard John Wall was recently quoted as saying he currently feels very healthy, close to a year and a half after being sidelined due to a heel injury.
On Tuesday afternoon, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweeted an update on Wall’s injury, noting that the point guard said earlier that day that he’s “110 percent” healthy. Given the number of times that people have wondered when the five-time All-Star will return, Katz stressed that Wall does not have any plans to suit up for Washington if the 2019-20 campaign is resumed. This is even if the Wizards — who are 5.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Brooklyn Nets with a 24-40 record — get to play more regular-season games.
As separately reported by ESPN , Wall also told reporters on Tuesday that he’s still “taking [his] time at the rehab” and trying to get in shape as he hopes to return in time for the 2020-21 season. Despite the expectation that he won’t be playing just yet, he added that he’s “itching to get back out there.”
Courtside for @WashWizards on ESPN! #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/rz7VVmaedR
— NBA (@NBA) July 7, 2019
Additionally, Wall touched on how his backcourt partner, Bradley Beal, posted improved numbers for the struggling Wizards this season, with his 30.5 points per game average good for second in the entire NBA. The point guard said that he’s eager to return to the team so that he could see how Beal and his teammates have developed and how the Wizards have made changes to get themselves ready for the 2020-21 campaign. Not addressed, however, were the recent rumors that the Nets are interested in acquiring Beal for a combination of young players.
Wall last played an NBA game in December 2018, shortly before he underwent a season-ending operation to remove bone spurs from his left heel. The former Kentucky Wildcats star, however, suffered a setback ahead of the 2019-20 season when he tore his left Achilles tendon and again had to undergo surgery.
With Wall sidelined, the Wizards failed to make the playoffs in 2019 and will certainly miss the postseason for a second straight year if the NBA chooses to proceed straight to playoff action instead of playing a few more regular-season games. As pointed out by Bleacher Report , Washington made the playoffs four times in a span of five seasons from 2013 to 2018, with the former No. 1 overall draft pick leading the way.
