Making a fourth All-Star game is a cause for celebration for most players. John Wall takes the honor as a call to action.
A quick smile came across Wall’s face as he received the congratulatory text from his agent. That smile was immediately followed by a scowl. The joy of being picked by the coaches was replaced by the reality of what is to come for Wall.
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"The other point guards are going to be coming at my neck," Wall told Sporting News. "All the guys, who think they should have made (the All-Star teams) are going to be gunning for me."
It’s become a tradition for Wall to want to prove haters wrong as much as himself right. Several people questioned how he would recover from two knee surgeries in the offseason. He struggled as the Wizards limped to a 6-12 record.
"I wasn’t in the best shape to start the season," Wall said. "It took me a minute to get my conditioning down. But once I got my legs under me, I started to feel healthier than I have in my entire career."
There’s a lot of data to validate Wall’s self-assessment. He’s averaging 23.0 points and 10.3 assists. It’s not surprising to see Wall put up numbers on the offensive side. He has also evolved on defense, snagging 2.1 steals per game, second in the league only to Chris Paul.
Teammates notice that Wall is more likely to step up and guard the elite players at his position. Wall has been a good defender, but this season he's taken it to another level.
"He’s got such a chip on his shoulder," Bradley Beal told Sporting News. "We all do, but he is bigger than anybody I’ve seen. He got tired of y’all saying he doesn’t play defense so he got better."
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Now the Wizards are 29-20 after the slow start — and Wall isn't happy yet.
"Every night I have to prove myself," Wall said. "It's just like when I was named the number one player in high school. Everybody wanted to see if I was real, I'm here to show the world I am."
When Wall is on the court, the Wizards' plus/minus goes from -2.1 to 4.3. The team's offensive rating jumps from 102.7 when he sits to 113.0 when he's on the floor. The team also allows 2.3 fewer points per 100 possessions than when he's on the bench.
Wall plays with a quiet rage. On offense, he's a player that has to be guarded for 90 feet. He drives to the bucket with speed and patience reminiscent of Le'Veon Bell as he waits for the right hole to open up. And when he can't get to the bucket, he kicks it out to an open teammate for a jumper.
"He makes my game so much better," Beal said. "I know he's going to make good decisions and I'm going to get good looks. All I have to do is knock them down."
Beal has knocked down a lot of those shots. He's averaging a career-high 22.0 points a contest. The uptick in Beal's stats has directly correlated with Wall's development. The duo has come a long way from talk about their "tendency to dislike each other" before the season.
"My boy Brad should've been an All-Star," Wall said. "He's putting up the numbers. They're going stop overlooking us."
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Eight years ago, Wall was motivated to prove he was worthy of being the first pick. Now he's motivated to prove that his team is a threat to the Eastern Conference hierarchy. He's become the clear leader of a team that is on the rise.
Earlier, Wall said that the Wizards can make the conference finals. If he keeps playing at this clip, he might prove himself as a clairvoyant.
"We know what it takes to get respect in this league," Wall said. "If we keep winning we are going to silence all the critics."
For Wall, the sounds of silence are music to his ears.