Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview: Getting Insight On The Bucks (Q and A) by Ben Mehic

Who are the Washington Wizards going to depend on with Paul Pierce gone?

That was the question posed by many NBA pundits following the future Hall-of-Famer’s departure to Los Angeles. Pierce, who led the way for Washington in the fourth quarter on numerous occasions — including the NBA Playoffs — was an instrumental part in the Wizards’ success.

Pierce’s steady contributions in the clutch were a big reason why the Wizards advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive season. Really, they were just a second away from pushing the Atlanta Hawks to a Game-7. Run that back, Atlanta.

This season, Pierce won’t be there to bail the Washington Wizards out. He won’t be there to pick up the phone when things don’t go according to plan. Pierce won’t be taking any collect calls from the Wizards’ youngsters.

But the Wizards’ youngsters have grown up.

They’re still going to put themselves in sticky situations from time to time — like they did last night against the Orlando Magic — but they’ll know how to get out. The youngsters make errors, but they don’t need the father-figure to save them late at night.

John Wall has become that savvy vet.

Wall, who’s in his sixth season in the NBA, is the go-to player for Washington in the clutch. Many have questioned his scoring ability late in games, but this isn’t the same player from two-three years ago. Wall has embraced the role of franchise player and for him to truly live up to that label, he’ll have to get his team out of trouble when they call.

Wall scored 12 points in the fourth quarter last night. He knocked down two straight jumpers, including a go-ahead three point shot, to help Washington gain the momentum they needed late in the game.

Wall also went on to hit the eventual game-winning floater to secure Washington’s first win of the season.

He finished the game with 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and five blocks. As the Washington Post’s Jorge Castillo pointed out, only David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon put up similar numbers.

Wall has carried the team on the offensive end of the floor, but more than ever, he’s also become the anchor of the team defensively. Dwyane Wade, who’s been recognized as the best shot blocking guard in the NBA, might have to take a backseat to John Wall following last night’s game.

The All-Star guard was often times the only player in red-white-blue who continued to get stops in transition, even after his teammates failed to get up the court. Given his versatility, Wall has become one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and now he’s blocking shots at a high rate too. If only everyone in D.C. put that much effort on D…

Playing at such a high level throughout an 82-game season is virtually unsustainable. The likes of Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat have to take the scoring and defensive load off their franchise player in order for the team to have a successful season. Still, Wall has shown that he’s capable of entering “takeover-superstar” mode if need be.

Last night’s win against the Magic certainly wasn’t ideal, but the outcome was still the same. John Wall is the leader of the Washington Wizards and there’s really no dispute. It was nice having Pierce for a single season, but now it’s Wall’s turn to lead.