The Washington Wizards will be without five-time All-Star John Wall for the remainder of the 2018-19 season as the point guard will undergo surgery to remove the bone spurs in his left heel. The recovery time period is six to eight months, which would mean a limited offseason to even get back into basketball shape before his four-year, $171 million supermax extension begins. Wall will likely undergo surgery next week. The Washington Post’s Candace Buckner was the first to report the possible need for surgery and Hoop District has confirmed it.
The team would later announce that Wall will undergo a debridement and repair of a Haglund’s deformity and a chronic Achilles tendon injury in his left heel. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay, WI, next week on a day to be determined. Wall is expected to return to full basketball activity in approximately six to eight months. The procedure was determined to be the best course of action to relieve pain and inflammation in Wall’s heel after consultation between Dr. Anderson, Dr. David Porter of Indianapolis, IN, and Wizards Director of Medical Services and Orthopedist Dr. Wiemi Douoguih.
On Saturday morning, Wall visited foot specialist Anderson where he received the recommendation to undergo surgery. The bone spurs have existed for three to four years, but this season they have impacted his play more than ever before instead of being dormant. The point guard was frequently criticized for his stagnant play on the defensive end this season and now there is a definitive reason why instead of pure apathy on Wall’s part.
Scott Brooks frequently hinted that there was something more serious going on with his franchise player because whenever he was asked about Wall’s play, he would change the narrative to how the point guard is a warrior for fighting through different injuries. The same was true last season when he tried to play through a knee injury before he had no choice but to undergo another knee surgery.
Practically, the current season is over and a lost cause. The team is 10 games below .500 and would be a non-factor in the postseason even if they were able to sneak into the top 8. That made surgery a near no-brainer for Wall and the team as it does not make sense to risk further injury for a meaningless season. For the first time since 2013, Wall will not be an All-Star after being selected five consecutive times.
From a team perspective, the Wizards have to hope (and pray) that the then 29-year old can stay healthy and return to his 2016-17 form. With an unfortunately degrading body for a player reliant on his athleticism, Washington is going to be stuck with an all but untradeable player. How they decide to play the rest of the season, fully tanking or competing for the No. 8 seed, will be interesting to see with the trade deadline a little bit over a month away.
The team is $6.5 million over the luxury tax and you can bet that Ted Leonsis would like to get under it not only to save some money now but avoid the repeater tax in the future. Trevor Ariza ($15 million) and Markieff Morris ($8.6 million) are the most practical to be moved because of their expiring contracts. Whether the team would consider moving Bradley Beal and/or Otto Porter (who each have two-years and $56 million left on their max contracts) is another story that is a long-term decision.
Scott Brooks spoke about losing his point guard for the rest of the season before Saturday’s game. Wall’s teammates touched on it after the win over the Hornets.
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“Since we didn’t play with him last night, we knew we still have to pick up our energy,” now starting point guard Tomas Satoransky said. “But it’s not a new situation for us. Obviously for the long run it’s a tough loss. You always need your All-Stars. Having two All-Stars is great to have on your team. It’s going to be a tough adjustment, but we have been in that situation. We have to keep believing in each other. Like I said last year when it happened, everybody has got to step up.”
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