It didn't take long for Houston Rockets guard John Wall to shake the rust off.
Playing his first game in 735 days — not counting preseason, where he looked promisingly explosive — Wall resembled the form that earned him five All-Star selections as a member of the Washington Wizards.
In his belated season debut on Thursday, Wall dropped 22 points, six rebounds, and nine assists in Houston's 122-119 win over the Sacramento Kings at the Toyota Center. The Rockets point guard felt great to be back out there:
“It was great, man, just to get out there and have fun,” Wall said afterwards, via ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “When I get between those four lines and once the ball touches my hands after the jump ball, I was fine. I was happy to be able to compete with some of the best guys in this league and [demonstrate] that I have the ability to be one of the best point guards in this league.”
On the downside, Wall turned the ball over five times and missed six of his eight 3-point attempts. Overall, Wall shot 8-for-20 from the field.
More encouragingly, the 30-year-old looked spry in his first game as a Rocket. As MacMahon noted, six of his eight buckets came on rim attacks, including a couple of solo transition opportunities.
It was Wall's first action since he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his left heel and then ruptured his Achilles tendon during rehab. His comeback was delayed an extra week after he came in close contact with teammate Kenyon Martin Jr., who tested positive for COVID-19.
Wall gave himself a final self-assessment:
“Having 22, 9 and 6 is not bad for my first game in two years,” Wall assessed in his postgame comments. “I can pat myself on the back for that, and I know that I'll be even better for the next game.”
Follow Us
Subscribe