John Wall is expected to be in recovery for the entirety of the Washington Wizards' 2019-20 season, but even after knowing he'll be on the mend for a full year, his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles has faced plenty of obstacles.
Wall acknowledged he dealt with an infection over the summer that kept him in his walking boot longer than expected:
“I've just put in a lot of hard work,” said Wall, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “For me to be where I'm at right now, with all the setbacks and infections and then finding out my Achilles was ruptured and then going through another infection, it was like ‘man, when can I ever get past that point of just getting out of the boot and walking?'”
Wall spends his summers in Miami, a place known for its humidity:
“I was in Miami during the summertime in a boot. Like, man, I don't want to be in hot Miami in a boot, sweating,” said Wall, who soon found out about the infection.
The All-Star point guard has progressed to doing on-court work at the Wizards' practice facility — now able to shoot jumpers and do individual ball-handling and passing drills, jog, and lift weights.
Wall has been plenty patient when it comes to his injuries, considering he has had plenty of them that have taken some of his offseasons. For now, he's just glad to be doing what he loves the most:
“Just to do the ball-handling and be able to shoot and do the weight-lifting, that's a great aspect [of my progress]. It makes it easier for me because I'm in a great space where it's fun,” he said. “I'm able to do what I'm able to do, even if I'm not playing at a high speed and running up and down, I'm able to shoot and do ball-handling. That's what I love to do.”
The Wizards will likely ride this season out without Wall, even if he is making $38.2 million this season to cheer on his teammates. The 29-year-old will make $41, $44, and $47 million, respectively, the next three seasons. The Wizards are just hoping he's healthy enough to earn his keep.
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