Former All-NBA guard John Wall held a private workout this past Sunday, and the Celtics were reportedly in attendance. Wall was once an elite guard in the NBA, but injuries have derailed his career in recent history. Is Boston the place for him to start his comeback tour?
Celtics Reportedly Attended John Wall’s Private Workout
John Wall Career Breakdown
The Washington Wizards drafted John Wall as the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. In Washington, Wall enjoyed lots of success. During the 2010-11 season, Wall was the runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting behind Blake Griffin. From 2010-2020, Wall was selected as an All-Star five times and made the All-NBA Third team in 2017. Wall was also selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2015.
Wall spent the first decade of his career with the Wizards before getting traded to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook in 2020. After the trade, Wall played and started just 40 games for the Rockets in the 2020-21 season. In those 40 games, Wall averaged 20.6 PPG and 6.9 APG while shooting 40.4% from the field. Wall sat out the entire 2021-22 season.
In June 2022, Wall and the Rockets agreed to a mutual contract buyout before the Kentucky alum made his way to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Wall’s time with the Clippers wasn’t much to write home about. In just 34 games, including only three starts, Wall averaged 11.4 PPG and 5.2 APG on 40.8% shooting. Wall got traded back to the Rockets in February 2023 but was cut just three days later. The 32-year-old hasn’t signed with another team since and hasn’t appeared in a game since January.
Once an All-NBA player, it’s evident that John Wall is on the wrong side of his prime. So does it make sense for the Celtics to sign the former Wizards star, or would they be better off sitting this one out?
Is John Wall a Good Fit for the Celtics?
While the prospect of John Wall with the Celtics is intriguing, expectations should be tempered. Wall only played in 74 games in the last four season and sat out the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons. At this point, Wall is likely nothing more than a role player on a championship team. If the Celtics land Wall, they aren’t getting the same player that hit the game-winning shot against them in Game 6 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, they could get the last piece they need to add backcourt depth. This can round out what looks to be another championship contender team.
The Celtics recently traded away Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade that saw them land Kristaps Porzingis. Boston also signed former Raptors guard Dalano Banton to a two-year deal and their 2022 draft pick JD Davison to a two-way contract. The team also has reigning NBA All-Defensive Second Team member in Derrick White and the reigning 6th Man of the Year in Malcolm Brogdon on the roster. Despite requesting a trade in June, Payton Pritchard is still there. The Celtics don’t need to add just a body to the backcourt. They would, however, benefit from signing another guard who immediately contributes. On paper, Wall could be that for them.
On this team, Wall would fill out the depth and maybe get occasional rotation minutes. Still, Wall is an intriguing depth piece for the Celtics. While Wall’s athleticism isn’t on the same level it used to be, his abilities to be a playmaker and a perimeter scorer are still there. Especially with reports suggesting that Brogdon’s injury may be “significant,” signing Wall could be a low-risk, high-reward move for the right price.
