John Wall Over Kyrie Irving as the Best Point Guard in the Eastern Conference
See what numbers make it undoubtable that John Wall is the best point guard in the Eastern Conference
The time is now for John Wall to be defined as one of the best point guards in the league and the best in his conference. At one point in time, this wouldn’t even be a discussion; but after these past two years I started to take notice of each individual game. No more of Wall being underrated and in the shadow of others. Kyrie Irving doesn’t do enough for his team compared to Wall and here’s why:
Numbers Don’t Lie
This season, John Wall is averaging 23 points per game, 4 rebounds per game, and 10 assists per game. Kyrie Irving is averaging 24 points per game, 3 rebounds per game and 6 assists per game. As you can see the glaring issue from Irving’s game is his passing. As the starting point guard of a team with two other superstars on the roster, his assist numbers should be at least in the double digits. Just imagine if both players switched teams, Wall’s assists number would most likely be higher than what it is now. Sad to say, but even Russell Westbrook is averaging more assists than Irving, with 10.2 per game and less talent around him.
Wall Makes Teammates Better
In his sixth year in the league, he has finally made adjustments to facilitate and score at will at different moments of the game. This skill takes time to build because you must have trust in your teammates’ ability to get it done on the court. The things he’s doing this season are great because the talent on this roster is a downgrade compared to a few years ago, and because this is a transitional period for the team with a new head coach Scott Brooks. This team went from being the ninth-place team in the conference at the start of the season to number three at the halfway mark.
Captain Versus Sidekick
Lastly, there’s no question that the number one player on the Washington Wizards’ roster is John Wall. When he goes down from injury or doesn’t play because of the coach’s decision to rest him, they lose games. The Cleveland Cavaliers can still win games without Kyrie Irving because the number one guy on the team is Lebron James. He’s their all-around player and, at the age of 32, he still leads the team in minutes per game at 37 minutes. Before James’ return to the Cavs they weren’t even close to being in playoff contention. Since his return in the 2014–15 season, the team is just 4–18 without him playing and this season they’re 0–3. Just last month Lebron said, “We need a playmaker”. Well, Irving is supposed to be that guy to take some of the load off. Instead of going into his ‘Uncle Drew’ persona in the fourth quarter, he needs to play that way in the first three quarters and become known as more than just the closer.
