The Washington Wizards fell to the Atlanta Hawks by a 10-point margin in Monday’s Game 4. With that, the series now sits even as the two teams return to the nation’s capital for Game 5 on Wednesday. Given the way that the Wizards looked in Games 1 and 2, it is at least mildly surprising that the Hawks were able to get off the mat in the way that they did at home and, for the most part, it was Washington’s supporting cast that let the team down in the two losses.
However, Washington Post reporter Candace Buckner (who does a fantastic job on the Wizards beat) reflected negatively on the defense of John Wall during the fourth quarter of Game 4 and it was couched in this way.
One day, Wall might actually try to defend Dennis Schroder.
Maybe.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) April 25, 2017
Wall has been phenomenal in this series, averaging 28.8 points and 10.0 assists per game and, alongside Paul Millsap for Atlanta, there has been little doubt as to who the best player has been for the Wizards. With that said, Atlanta’s Dennis Schröder has been quite productive as well, averaging 23.3 points and 6.3 assists per game, and Buckner seemingly attributes some of that to questionable defense from Wall.
As you might expect, the All-Star point guard did not take this jab well.
Lol RT @CandaceDBuckner: One day, Wall might actually try to defend Dennis Schroder.
Maybe.
— John Wall (@JohnWall) April 25, 2017
It should be noted that this isn’t necessarily a full “shots fired” situation, but the only interpretation here is that Wall disagrees with the description of his defensive performance in this series. In the aftermath, Wizards center Marcin Gortat jumped into the mix.
omg….u r MVP of all journalist in NBA ! 😂😂😂
— Marcin Gortat🇵🇱 (@MGortat) April 25, 2017
And, from there, Buckner responded.
was going for dpoy of all journalists in NBA but guess mvp will do
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) April 25, 2017
John Wall certainly hasn’t been the problem for the Wizards in this series but it can be simultaneously true that his defensive effort isn’t always fantastic. Still, Schröder’s production is more likely a byproduct of Washington’s defensive game plan to go under on screens and “allow” the young point guard to shoot from the perimeter.
To that end, some of those shots are going to fall and, when they do, it is easy to jump to point fingers at the opposing player at the same position. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of this back and forth as the series moves along.
