It is often said that the point guard position is the most demanding in the NBA. Aside from commanding your team’s offense, you also have the unpleasant task of keeping in step with the league’s best guards. For former All-Star John Wall , this meant having to take on the likes of Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and former two-time league MVP Steve Nash .
According to the first overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, he will always remember his rookie season when he had to go through a gauntlet of elite point guards, culminating in a match-up with the shifty and crafty Nash. It was a learning experience like no other.
Couldn’t figure Nash out
Wall entered the NBA as a highly-touted guard from the University of Kentucky. Lightning-quick with nuclear athleticism, the 6-foot-3 guard was expected to join the list of the league’s elite point guards right from the get-go. However, the native of Raleigh, North Carolina, soon learned how difficult it was to be a starting point guard at this level.
“I had a stretch where I had D-Rose, Rondo, then went to the West Coast. I had Russ, CP, and Steve Nash,” the five-time All-Star told Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson on the “Knuckleheads Podcast.”
Of all those match-ups, Wall said the Phoenix Suns’ floppy-haired Canadian gave him fits.
“This one, you know, he ran the pick and roll. He always dribbled around the baseline. He went 10 for 10 against me. I was like, ‘There's no way in hell he's cooking me like this,’” the one-time All-NBA team member remarked.
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Not surprising
To be fair to Wall, who was a rookie then, Nash cooked a lot of defenses in the NBA. Whether it was Tony Parker, CP, or Derrick Rose, the Santa Clara product had the most diverse bag of tricks for a point guard at this level. Nash wasn’t quick, nor did he jump high. What he had was a keen court awareness, a mastery of the fundamentals, and a unique ability to read the game.
“That's the first one that gave me a welcome to the NBA moment, for sure,” Wall stressed.
Darius then quizzed John about whether Nash hit his signature fadeaway, and JW answered in the affirmative, his frustration palpable.
“Yeah, I was mad. I'm contesting; I'm chasing him. I was like, ‘Man, I don't even care about scoring right now. I just got to get a stop,’” the 11-year veteran said.
Nash finished that game with 20 points and 17 assists, going perfect from the field and the free-throw line. It was an inauspicious start to Wall’s NBA career, but it was also a valuable lesson in the level of competition he would face night in and night out.
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