John Wall ready to go Saturday, will be on minutes restriction

John Wall will be back on the court Saturday.

And while cynics will say Wall hasn’t lived up to the franchise anchor, No. 1 overall pick status he had coming into the league, I would note that without him this season the Wizards have the worst offense in the NBA by far. At 92.7 points per 100 possessions, they are five points behind second worst Cleveland. Add another five points per 100 to Cleveland and they move into the top 10 offenses in the league, add five to the Wizards and they barely get to 29th.

Wall helps with his return from an injured knee. But at first he will be on a minutes restriction as he gets his conditioning back, Wizards coach Randy Wittman told the Washington Examiner.

“The thing he has to temper a little bit is he’s going to be going a 100 miles per hour, knowing John,” Wittman said. “He’s got to temper that, but you also want him to play the way he plays. I don’t want to pull back on any of that. But hey, it’s a good problem to have. His conditioning is going to be a thing that I make sure I keep a good eye on. That when I see the point of exhaustion, I got to get him in and out. I’m sure after talking to the doctor from a minutes standpoint I think we’ll probably have (a restriction) there initially and as he moves forward.”

Wall and the Wizards have a lot to figure out in the coming months. Next summer he is eligible for an extension to his rookie contract. Do they give him one and lock him down, or let it go a year and have him become a restricted free agent (where the Wiz can match any offer)? If you do decide to extend him, at what price for how many years?

It’s all going to hinge on how he plays (and if he has developed a jumper). But at least he’s back playing.