NBA Draft: John Wall Will Change The Face Of The Washington Wizards

For the last two seasons the up and coming Washington Wizards have run into a wall when it came to making the play-offs.   This year a Wall might be just what they need to get them over a wall.

That’s the apparent mindset of the Wizards, who are expected to select Kentucky guard John Wall with the first overall pick in Thursdayt’s NBA Draft at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

But is the 19-year-old confident in his ability to rebuild a team that was mired in locker room turmoil last season and has gone 45-119 over the past two years?

His mindset: he did it in Lexington, and he’ll do it again in the nation’s capital.

Attending an NBA Fit clinic with other prospective draft picks at the Garden Wednesday afternoon, Wall showed why he’s the sure favorite to go No. 1, his confidence matching his dazzling athleticism. He has, apparently, no doubts about his ability to turn around a floundering organization.

“It’s the same thing I did at Kentucky, this is just another level,” said Wall, who helped lead the Wildcats to the country’s No. 1 ranking, the SEC regular season title and tournament championship as a freshman last season. “I’ve got the will to win, I always want to win, and I’ve got good character on and off the court. I’ll do as much for the team on the court and in the community, so I think I can.”

At the same time, Wall won’t even begin to speculate where he fits into the pecking order of the league’s elite point guard talent.

“Right now I won’t put myself in the topic of conversation, because I haven’t established myself on this level,” he said, noting that it should take a full season for him to figure out where he stands. “But I feel I have a chance to be one of those top 10, or top three guys.

Until I prove myself on the NBA level, I can’t put myself in any category.”

The Wizards, however, seem ready to do it for him.

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