Is John Wall the second best player in the Eastern Conference?

What a performance by the Washington Wizards and John Wall in game 4 of the second-round series against the Boston Celtics. In the first half the Celtics were up for the most of it, and at some point even led the game by 12. John Wall was struggling, he could not make shots, he had a couple of turnovers early on, and the Wizards were also struggling. However in the third quarter, the unstoppable John Wall showed up, and the team followed, going on to a 26-0 run! John Wall was assisting, scoring layups, making a couple of threes, being aggressive, going to the free throw line and helping his team come back and destroy the Celtics in the third and fourth quarter. But is he the second best player in the Eastern Conference behind LeBron James?

Credit: NBA Facebook

The answer is yes. John Wall at this particular moment is the second best player in the East. In the playoffs, he led fourth-seeded Wizards over the Hawks in six games, while now after being down 2-0, he has led his team to two straight blowout victories over the Celtics and tied the series in two games. Just like LeBron James he makes his teammates better. By assisting, going to the paint, coast to coast with his unbelievable speed with the ball, scoring mid-range jumpers, and hustling on the defensive side of the floor he is helping his team become successful this season. Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, Demar Derozan, Jimmy Buttler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Isaiah Thomas, Paul George are all up there, but they don't make everyone around them better like John Wall makes his teammates. In the regular season, he finished with 23.1 PPG and 10.7 APG while in the playoffs he has improved his game, become more aggressive, attacking and he is averaging 28.8 PPG and 11.1 APG on 47.7% shooting from the field. In his 6th years, he wants to let the world to know that he belongs in the conversation of the best point guard in the league, and could be in the top 3. In these ten playoff games in the 2017 playoffs, he has shown a matured player, who knows what to do, when to do it, and how to do it right. The Wizards have a legit chance of advancing to the Conference Finals to challenge the Cavaliers for a place in the Finals.

Game 4

The most important part of his game that makes him that good is the following. When he does not play well, turn the ball over, shots are not falling, cannot finish around the basket, his team is also struggling. But when he plays well, his team is also playing well. The action/reaction effect. This is what makes him so good. Now, you could make a case for a lot of other players that are up there and can challenge John Wall for that second spot, but in my opinion John Wall in these playoffs and particularly these four games against a great Boston Celtics team is showing why he is one of the top point guards in the league and the second best player in the East.

Finally, if the Wizards, advance I believe, have more belief in themselves that they can challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers for a place in the Finals and this is all starting from John Wall, a player who has turned things for his team, and himself all the way around. This is also something I don't see as much in the Boston Celtics, while the Wizards with John Wall as the leader can challenge the Cavs and take them to six or seven games.

Highlights - Game 4:

Credit: NBA Conference