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John Wall’s Rookie Career Takes Surprising Downturn As Wizards Battle Losing Record

Two months ago, when the Celtics took on the Washington Wizards for the first time this season, they missed out on seeing rookie sensation John Wall, as the No. 1 overall draft pick missed the contest with a sprained foot.

Now, it appears, they might not have missed as much as they thought.

Wall's rookie season has been flashy at times, but on the whole underwhelming, as the rookie point guard has faded fast in the race for Rookie of the Year this season. What began as a heated race between Wall and the Clippers' Blake Griffin is now a joke. It's Griffin by a three-foot vertical leap.

Wall's problems have been threefold this season. One, he's missed time with injuries. Due to a mixed bag of ankle, foot and knee ailments, Wall has sat out 12 of the Wizards' 41 games this season. Two, he's had some shortcomings statistically, with his turnovers increasing sharply in recent weeks and his shooting percentages dropping.

And three, he's been unable to turn around a Wizards team that's still among the NBA's worst. The Wiz are currently 12-29, fighting for dear life to keep out of the bottom spot in the Eastern Conference.

Wall has had his moments this season. His game-changing speed and athleticism are surely going to make him a star eventually, but so far, he's been slow to come around.

Wall and the Wizards will take on the Celtics on Saturday night. This is the rookie's chance to turn things around — against a top-notch team, facing a top-notch point guard in fellow Kentucky alum Rajon Rondo. If Wall has a big game Saturday, the world will notice.

But if he flops, would it surprise anyone?