John Wall left a trail of criticism on his way out for the summer, questioning some of his teammates, putting the onus on the front office to add an athletic big man he believes the Wizards lack, and letting it be known he’s not happy with the way this season went.
The Wizards finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost in six games to the Raptors in the opening round of the playoffs, falling on their home court Friday.
“It’s just figuring out what pieces we can add to our team,” Wall told The Washington Post on Wizards breakup day Saturday. “What guys can stay and what guys can go. That make us, that really want to be here. That really want to win and really want to take that next step.
“I don’t put the pressure on everybody else. I put the pressure on myself because I am that franchise guy. I am the guy that has to be the leader of the team, that has to get everybody better, make everybody better on my team. At the same time, if I’m doing my part, the other 14 guys on my team have to do their part at getting better every year. Just being true to the team. Our problem at a lot times is guys don’t understand their role and respect their role.”
It was a weird season for Wall and the team as a whole, seemingly always on the cusp of breaking through but never taking the next step. When Wall, the Wizards’ best player, missed extended time earlier this season, the Wizards interestingly kept winning, leading to more interesting tweets and comments that may have been construed as subtle digs at Wall. Marcin Gortat, at one point, emphasized the team was playing as a “team” in Wall’s absence. Wall objected to the comment, and he and Gortat hashed things out.
Saturday, Wall said the biggest piece the Wizards are missing are “athletic bigs,” which he believes they don’t have. He also said Washington players aren’t consistent in their attitude or play.
“When things are going well, everybody’s happy, everybody wants to be here. But when things get rough, that’s when you really figure out who’s your brother, who’s really in the war with you, who’s really in the fight with you,” said Wall, who just finished his eighth season and still hasn’t escaped the second round of the playoffs. “So, I think anybody can see from the outside or the inside looking in who really wanted to be here when things wasn’t going great for us, but when it’s all happy-go-jolly and we’re winning, it’s all fun and games.”