The Washington Wizards have some reasons for optimism this season after signing point guard John Wall to a lucrative extension and now that they know he will be there for the long-term, the franchise is hoping that he can take the team to the next level in the playoffs.
Wall now has an $80 million contract and this offseason he will work with NBA legend Gary Payton, according to Pro Basketball Talk, and he plans on helping Wall develop into an elite point guard in the NBA. Wall is going to work out with Payton and Wall also said that he had the chance to watch Tony Parker and Mike Conley in action and have been able to pick up nuances in their games as well.
Wall is on a five-year, $80 million deal and he joins Bradley Beal as the young talent on the Wizards for the future. The team went just 29-53 last season, but now with Wall's contract kicking in after next season, the team is ready to get the franchise back to the playoffs for the first time in years and it also takes away the story of whether Wall would sign a deal with the Wizards at all.
Wall was injured and later averaged 18.5 points, 7.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds after returning in January and now he will be the focal point for the Wizards this season like he was before getting hurt. Beal is young at 19 and has proven he is a solid player and after averaging 13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31.2 minutes per game as a rookie, the team feels that Beal and John Wall give the Wizards a bright future.
"First of all I struggled for three years," Payton told ProBasketballTalk last January. "Really for two years, and then when George Karl got there (to Seattle) my struggles ended because I got a basketball coach that let me do what I wanted to do... Me and (Wall) have talked a lot on the phone. He has called me about the situation, the same situation (I was in) to learn about things, and I've been talking to him about things and I've been talking to him a lot"
