NBA fans will be elated to see John Wall back on the court and healthy once again, especially after his well-chronicled battles with mental health struggles over the past few years. In two games thus far with the Los Angeles Clippers, Wall has put up 16 points and 3.5 dimes in only 23 minutes a night, showing that he has a lot left in the tank.
But after missing the entire 2021-22 season following a “mutual agreement” between Wall and the Houston Rockets for him not to suit up at all, doubt crept into the mind of the 32-year old point guard and he feared he would suffer a premature end to his career. Speaking with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Wall shared just how ruthless he thinks the league could be, especially towards aging contributors.
“It’s kind of tough, because I feel like a lot of those vet guys can still contribute to a lot of teams, you know what I mean? And I just feel like they’re trying to push the old heads out. That’s just how I look at it. So I’m just happy I got the opportunity to be back in this because I could have been one of those guys who’s still trying to find a team,” Wall said.
John Wall mentioned Kemba Walker as someone whom he thinks hasn't been given a fair chance to redeem himself, in addition to other former All-Stars such as Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and his longtime friend DeMarcus Cousins. But Wall concedes that such is the reality of the industry he works in: in a blink of an eye, your playing days could be over.
“I always look at everything as cold, you know what I mean? But there’s politics to it. It’s kind of shady, but it’s a business though. You know how this s–t goes, how business goes. You can be the boss’ best friend and he can feel like, ‘Today, I want you to be gone,'” Wall added.
Wall even chimed in on the situation of fellow Los Angeles-based guard Russell Westbrook, who has seen a sharp decline to his career after donning the purple and gold.
“What [Westbrook's] going through is tough. You can tell he don’t have the joy right now,” Wall said.
With John Wall having an increased chip on his shoulder from the knowledge that everything can be taken away from him in an instant, the Clippers become an even more complete and dangerous team as they push for their elusive championship.
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