John Wall says bench play was downfall of Wizards in the playoffs

During each of the last three postseason trips during the John Wall era, the Washington Wizards have played and fallen in the Eastern Conference semifinals, seemingly one step shy of reaching the conference finals, lacking that last push to get them over the hump.

The point guard dynamo addressed what it is the team really needed to get it past that point.

“We need to help our bench,” Wall told CSN's Chris Miller. “Just to be honest, that was our downfall in each series that we had in the [Eastern Conference] semifinals, our bench got out played.”

Wall had the best regular and postseason years of his career this season, averaging career-highs in points and assists, as well as asserting himself as the outstanding leader of the team.

The support from his backups throughout the years has not been just a dropdown from his All-Star-caliber play, but mostly a vast underperformance, making it a weak point of the Wizards' offense.

Washington has switched backup point guards between seasons like teen girls switch phone cases every week. Whether it was Eric Maynor, Andre Miller, and Ramon Sessions in 2013-14, or Trey Burke last season to Tomas Satoransky and Brandon Jennings this season — the product has been mediocre at best.

Jennings had a feeble seven points and seven assists in his last series with the Wizards, falling out of favor at the absolute worst time for the team.

“Every point guard that we have, you can't expect them to go out there and do what I do,” Wall added. “Every guy that has backed me up has done a great job, in my opinion. It might not help us as much as everybody thinks, but that's up to the front office to make the adjustment there.”

While he tried to make up in some way for what he had previously said, the shot had already been fired. But the Raleigh native won't be part of the recruiting process, leaving that to the front office to handle.

“I don't think I have to do that,” he said. “They understand and see what we do as a team over here: how we play together, how we move the ball. I think guys will just come if they want to come.”

It is up to management to figure out how to get this All-Star backcourt some help after they logged heavy minutes this postseason, and it will all start with some solid point guard play to get them going.