• Nov.14. 2010




In his first eight games in the league, John Wall has gone up against some stiff competition at the point guard spot, but he got his first real test against an elite point guard on Saturday night when he went up against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. Not that Aaron Brooks and Mo Williams and Jameer Nelson aren't great players—it's just that Rose is sort of the prototype for what Washington expects Wall's career arc to look like. Wall isn't oblivious to the expectations.

"He's a talented point guard that's reaching all the expectations that I'm trying to get to—All-Star, Rookie of the Year, all those things," Wall said before Saturday's loss at the United Center in Chicago.

"We've got a couple of similarities, but he's Derrick Rose, and I'm John Wall, you know? He's already proven himself, and I still have to prove that I belong, that I can be the kind of player that he is."

Wizards coach Flip Saunders appreciates both guys' similarities, but also understands what a mistake it would be to label Wall "The Next Derrick Rose" this early in his career.

"Right now, when John goes out—just like with Derrick his rookie year—he's going up against a new player he's never played against before. But they're similar and they both had the same (college) coach, and they both have blazing speed. And they're both competitors."