Milwaukee Bucks Opposition Intel: Washington Wizards Q&A With Ben Mehic
By Adam McGee
Nov 10, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) steals the ball from Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
AM: This season marks 20 years since Gary Payton won his sole Defensive Player of the Year award, the last guard to achieve that feat. Averaging 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in the early running, could this be the year in which John Wall catapults himself into the mix to break that backcourt drought?
BM: John Wall has become a fantastic defensive guard. He’s the best shot-blocking guard in the league and he does a fantastic job of harassing guards on the perimeter. But, if Wall wants to contend for the Defensive Player of the Year award, then his team needs to become elite defensively.
Right now, the Wizards are a miserable defensive team. Wall is anchoring a bad defense and I’m not sure how much love he’ll get from the voters. If the Wizards turn it around and crack the top-15 in defensive efficiency, then Wall could make a case for himself. At this moment, though, I just don’t see it happening.
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