John Wall spoke at length with the media following his workout today with the Washington Wizards, and Mike Prada was there to take it all in. What impressed him the most about Wall's media session? The likely No. 1 pick's general demeanor, as well as the types of questions he jumped at answering:
I haven't talked to a ton of players in my year in the locker room, but of the ones I have, one thing struck me: many of the league's best players get tired by cliche questions and love it when you ask them about something basketball-related. Some, like Kobe Bryant, take it to an extreme. Some, like Gilbert Arenas, will talk no matter what, but will go into even more detail when you ask him about his basketball mindset. But chances are, the great players, or at least the ones who handle the media correctly, tend to be boring with cliche questions and interesting when you ask them about basketball.
John Wall talked for 18 minutes today, and he demonstrated this quality to a T. He had lots of cliche answers to cliche questions, such as how he'll play with Gilbert Arenas, what it's like to be in this position with all the attention ("it's a dream come true) and such. He also found a way to make people laugh without being overly gregarious. But when he truly came alive was when he received basketball-related questions. There, he showed how he's humble, analytical and always looking to improve. He talked about his strengths in the most general terms, and went into great depth with his weaknesses. It was very encouraging to hear.
Be sure to read the detailed recap of Wall's workout, including more quotes, at SB Nation's Wizards blog, Bullets Forever.