Washington Wizards' John Wall To Play Through Pain - and It's a Problem

Washington Wizards All-Star John Wall has become accustomed to playing through nagging injuries and could be forced to do the same again this season.

“If John Wall didn’t break his wrist against the Atlanta Hawks, the Washington Wizards would’ve made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015.”

That’s a hypothetical that optimistic Wizards fans, and probably some within the organization, like to cite when noting the team’s recent success.

It’s no secret that the Wizards will go as far as their backcourt, and really, their star player can take them. But completely relying on one player for success on that level rarely ends well.

While it’s easy to point towards Wall’s injury and blame the misfortune on the team’s failure in the postseason, it’s also important to note that Washington was talented enough to still compete without their lone All-Star.

Following Wall’s injury, Randy Wittman inserted Ramon Sessions into the starting lineup, who was casually one of the most productive backups in the league that season, often coasting his way to the free throw line and leading the team in scoring off the bench.

Sessions responded to the decision, scoring a team-high 21 points in Game-2 against the Hawks.

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His scoring output kept the Wizards in the game before they eventually succumbed to Atlanta’s offense.

Once the season was over and the Wizards were bounced out of the second round, the front office made a decision to let Sessions go in favor of adding youth to the roster.

Washington acquired Trey Burke from the Utah Jazz for virtually nothing and signed 6-foot-7 point guard Tomas Satoransky to a multi-year deal, who they drafted in 2012.

Given the team’s perceived versatility, the Wizards hoped that losing Sessions wouldn’t impact the bench negatively.

But Washington’s bench is last in scoring and field goal percentage. To make matters worse, the starters have been forced to play heavy minutes, including Wall, who’s coming off double-knee surgery.

On Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, Wall played through an injured wrist and pinky – just as he played through a broken wrist against the Hawks after Sessions erupted. This situation, however, is different because Wall doesn’t have a capable backup.

Last season, the Wizards could’ve eked out victories with Wall resting, knowing that Sessions is capable of leading an offense and scoring at a high level.

Wall, as Chris Miller noted, had X-Rays and MRIs done to his pinky and will likely play through the pain.

Washington will take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night – a team that’s destined for the NBA lottery again.

If the team didn’t botch free agency and signed a competent, backup point guard – like Sessions, for instance – Wall wouldn’t have to play through pain against a team of Philadelphia’s caliber. He would’ve had the opportunity to rest and the Wizards still could’ve pulled out a win at home.

But now he’ll have to throw himself into the fire and risk further getting injured, just so the Washington Wizards can remain competitive against a lottery-bound team. Unless the team adds another backup – and the only way to do so is through a trade at this point – Wall will continue to be forced to exert himself.