The Wizards were in a frustrating place when they left the District two weeks ago for a five-game road trip. After going 2-3, they’re back home, as perplexing if not more, than ever.
For a team that began the season with dreams of competing for the NBA Eastern Conference title, muddling along at barely above .500 has been disappointing enough.
Now the Wizards are facing the prospect of trying to stay afloat without the services of All-Star John Wall, who has experienced recurring soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. Wall missed the final game of the road trip Saturday in Atlanta and was scheduled to depart for Cleveland on Monday evening to get a second opinion.
Wall sat out Monday’s practice, coach Scott Brooks said, and also underwent an MRI. He is doubtful for Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“It’s been bothering him,” Brooks said. “Probably on this last road trip, he’s had some games where he didn’t have his ability to explode and get to the rim like he’s capable of doing. He’s had some good days and bad days. … There is a concern, but we have to trust that the doctors, and everybody will have the best game plan for him going forward.”
In May 2016, Wall had operations on both knees to help deal with ongoing soreness. Dr. Richard Parker performed the procedures in Cleveland, and Wall will visit him for further evaluation.
Wall, whose speed and athleticism is crucial to his game, hasn’t been fully healthy this season since taking knee-to-knee contact during a game in November against the Dallas Mavericks. While Wall initially played through the injury, he eventually missed nine straight games once the Wizards shut him down to rest.
Wall returned and his play was solid enough to be named an All-Star last week for the fifth time in his career. But the pain popped up again during the most recent road trip.
“(Wall’s knee) is sore and we have to figure out why,” Brooks said. “We have to figure out why it’s doing that every so often.”
The Wizards are 6-6 this season without Wall, and are perhaps coming off their best performance without him. Washington recorded a season-high 40 assists — a mark the franchise hadn’t reached since 1992 — in a 129-104 win Saturday over the Hawks.
Brooks moved Tomas Satoransky into the starting lineup and incorporated Tim Frazier into the rotation. Finding a suitable backup for Wall has been a challenge for the Wizards in past years, though Satoransky has improved this season. Frazier, too, recorded 14 assists and Brooks praised his play on Monday.
The win in Atlanta, however, was the highlight of the 12 days on the road. Before they left, Brooks said he wanted to see his team grow closer.
Instead, the Wizards faced questions regarding their chemistry. After getting into a verbal spat with Wall, Mavericks guard J.J. Barea told reporters post-game that he didn’t like the Wizards star and “I don’t think his teammates like him, either.”
Barea’s comment set off a flurry of reactions — including from ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith, who only added to the fodder by saying he’s “been told” that teammates talk behind the backs of Wall and co-star Bradley Beal.
Beal laughed off Smith’s remarks Monday, but noted he was a fan of Smith and his show “First Take.”
“At the end of the day, we don’t pay attention to that,” Beal said. “Nobody is in our locker room. If you know who is talking behind our backs, then tell us. You know we’re all adults here. But we don’t feel that way. We feel like we have our locker room pretty much in control.”
The Wizards sold continuity as a reason they would take a step forward this season. All five starters returned, with new max contracts in place for Wall and forward Otto Porter. Despite the optimism, the Wizards find themselves at 27-22 and fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Beal said the recent travel was “definitely a long trip.”
“It wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but it happened,” Beal said. “We’ll take some positives and negatives out of it. The only thing we can do is build off of Atlanta and that was a great game for us.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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