Washington Wizards franchise player guard John Wall has high expectations for his squad in this upcoming 2017-18 season.
The five time NBA All-Star said in an interview by Chick Hernandez of The Athletic that a 50-win season season and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals would constitute a successful season for the Washington Wizards.
CH: What has to happen for you to label this season a success?
JW: Fifty-plus wins, top two in the east.
JW: And Eastern Conference finals. I mean, I don’t want to be one of those guys that they say, you always make it to the second round but can’t get past that. I want to see what success is like.
Hernandez clarified with Wall if he still believes the season is a success even if they don't win the NBA championship, granted that they achieve what the 6-foot-4 guard just mentioned. Wall acknowledged that there are steps they have to achieve first before gunning for the ultimate prize.
JW: Nope. But my ultimate goal is to win the championship one day. But it takes time to get there. You got to go through some steps and bruises and stones to get to that point, and we haven’t got to that next step, and the next step is seeing—to win the conference finals.
Wall and the Wizards have made the second round thrice in the past five years, but have not been able to get over the hump and into the Eastern Conference Finals. Moreover, the former Kentucky Wildcat has not experienced a 50-win season in his career. It's clear to see why Wall wants to take this next step by achieving these goals this season.
They came to close reaching both goals in the 2016-17 season, as they won 49 games en route to the fourth seed in the regular season. They had a strong showing in the post-season but ultimately lost a grueling seven-game series in the second round against the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
The Wizards, however, regressed in the 2017-18 season and just sneaked into the playoffs as eighth seed in the East. They were eventually knocked off by the top-seeded Toronto Raptors in six games. Wall dealt with a troublesome knee issue throughout the year, and played just 41 games, where he averaged 19.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 9.6 assists.
Wall is determined to have a bounce back season after being sidelined for the most of last year. The Wizards begin their pre-season campaign on October 1 against the New York Knicks, and open the regular season on October 18 at home against the Miami Heat
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