The Washington Wizards are set to enter a critical stretch of the NBA season, but they’ll need to survive the important period without All-Star guard John Wall.
According to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post, Wall will undergo a “clean up” knee procedure and be sidelined for six to eight weeks. He will not appear in the upcoming All-Star Game, either.
Earlier this season, Wall missed nine games because of a platelet-rich injection in his knee and recently sat out due to soreness.
To say this is a huge loss for the Wizards would be an understatement, since he’s averaging 19.4 points and 9.3 assists per game. Wall is shooting a career-best 35.8 percent from three-point range, too.
Washington is 27-22 and in playoff position, but the Detroit Pistons — who acquired Blake Griffin — are just 4.5 games behind. Two months without Wall could push the Wizards out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference.
All-Star guard Bradley Beal will be tasked with carrying Washington while Wall is sidelined. The team is 6-6 this season in games Wall didn’t play.