Mike Prada attended John Wall's workout today and files this report.
Clearly, John Wall was working out with the Wizards because they are likely to take him with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. At the same time, though, Wall was working out in part because he's always looking to improve his game and become a better player.
In that sense, Wall remained humble. When asked initially where he needs to improve, Wall said "everything," because the whole game changes once you get to the NBA. But more specifically, he said the one area he must improve is his jump shot.
"Most of it is getting my reps in," Wall said. "I feel like, at certain times, I shoot it a good way for like 10 minutes, but I change it up [after that]. So it's just about getting consistent and keeping it to that one shot."
Wall shot a set shot a lot at Kentucky, but was shooting jump shots today during the workout. Things weren't going so well there - Wall missed many of his mid-range attempts and looked visibly frustrated.
"I thought I could have shot the ball a little better, but my back started tightening up. But I thought I did a good job."
Wall also emphasized that his ability to run the pick and roll in the NBA is dependent on his ability to shoot the mid-range jumper consistently. He pointed to Rajon Rondo as a guy who would be almost impossible to stop once he knocks down the mid-range jump shot consistently.
"If you're a point guard and you can pass and you can score off pick and rolls, it should be easy [to pick it up], but the key to running pick and roll is being able to knock down shots. If not, you have to get the pick and roll set a little lower so you can get into the paint. You see how guys are guarding Rondo off the pick and roll. I want to be the kind of person who can knock that [shot] down."
But don't worry folks, because Wall is the kind of guy who will do anything possible to improve. He sat courtside at a recent NBA Finals game, and while most would have just been there to enjoy themselves, Wall said he spent the whole time studying Kobe Bryant.
"I was a fan [there], but I was also a student of the game," Wall said. "You see how Kobe [Bryant] has great footwork. Every time he gets the ball, he knows what spot he wants to get to. That's the key in the NBA - getting to your spots and having certain angles to beat guys. [Kobe's] not as explosive as he was when he first got into the league, but now, his footwork is so good and he knows how to get to certain angles and get guys off their feet. That's something I try to look into to try to get better."