Kyrie Irving‘s situation with the Cleveland Cavaliers is still a hot topic, and Wizards guard John Wall shared his thoughts on it.
When everything with Irving and the Cavaliers first started, he came out and said, according to ESPN, that John Wall was one of the guys he was jealous of. The Wizards have Wall as their man, a situation that doesn’t happen with Kyrie in Cleveland because of LeBron James — you might have heard of him.
Wall, whom many consider the Eastern Conference’s best point guard, recently inked a super-max deal and opened up about Irving’s situation. He was perplexed but empathetic, according to CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Chase Hughes:
“It’s kinda tough. If I had been to three straight [NBA] Finals, I’d want to stay but you never know what type of relationship or what type of details they have going on the backside. Nobody knows what’s going on behind closed doors. He’s one of those guys who wants to be the main guy.
“It’s a different situation when you’re playing with a guy like LeBron James who is so dominant. Everyone is always going to be the second guy to him. It’s kind of like what I tell all the young guys when they first come into the league. It’s kind of tough to get the young guys to play as one on the floor because everybody is trying to build their name up and start their own foundation. It’s kind of tough when you’re always in the shadow of somebody else. That’s something he probably got tired of.”
Wall, 26, is going into his eighth year with Washington. The 2017 campaign was his best yet, and he put up 23.1 points and 10.7 assists a night to land on his first All-NBA team. Additionally, he made his fourth-straight All-Star appearance, but being the face of a franchise is what Kyrie longs for.
Washington has been successful the last couple of years because they have a solid team, but it’s Wall who brings everyone together. Irving is a vastly different player. He doesn’t have the pass-first mentality that Wall has because he’s constantly looking to score. That’s why Irving’s an elite offensive talent. Wall isn’t as creative scoring wise, but he can flip a switch and get his when Washington needs it.
Cleveland doesn’t have many threats in the East, but the Wizards are one. Both sides match up well with each other, and whatever happens with Irving could impact a playoff series down the line.
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