John Wall will always be linked with Evan Turner, but in today’s NBA, that doesn’t mean the discussion will revolve around him as the 2010 NBA Draft’s No. 1 overall pick in an endless head-to-head battle with the guy who was taken right after him.
In fact, ask Wall about the members of his draft class that he’ll face with the Wizards this season, starting with Tuesday’s visit by Turner’s Philadelphia 76ers, and talk of a rivalry may not be the first answer you get.
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“We’re all friends,” Wall said. “When we play against each other, we’re competing to make each other better, you know, having friends on the court. But off the court, I enjoy watching him play. I watched Blake Griffin play. I seen Eric Bledsoe play the other night, DeMarcus [Cousins], Wesley Johnson. I watch the other guys that were in the draft as much as I can when I have the time to watch them. It’ll be exciting to be on the court with him at the same time.”
Of course, Griffin is in a class of his own after missing his first attempt at a rookie season with a knee injury. But between the predraft combine and workouts, sharing the green room during the draft and the rookie transition program, Wall and Turner have had ample opportunity to get to know one another before they take opposing sides in the NBA.
In fact, it should come as no surprise guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh became close enough friends to plot an NBA takeover, not that the same plans are part of Wall’s future. Right now he’s just aiming to get his first professional win — Turner has the same goal with the winless Sixers — and besting a team that also boasts a rookie of the year candidate, if that’s what it requires, is part of the game.
“You’re going to look at the person you’re playing against,” Wall said. “You look at some of these guys you played against last year or you were in the same college league with them, or like you look up to the NBA guys. But you go out there and you’re just playing basketball. You can’t be scared or try to go into a one-on-one matchup. It’s not like high school because if you do that, you can take your team out of the game right away.”
