Oh, what a night for Washington D.C. sports. The Commanders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to advance past the Wild Card round and face the top-seeded Detroit Lions. Long-time Wizards great John Wall returned to Capital One Arena and was greeted with cheers and a tribute video. How things have changed since he was last here. The Wizards got destroyed by the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder by 41 points and John Wall had a front-row seat to M-V-P chants for Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. There are lessons to be learned though. Two to be exact, let’s talk about it.
The first lesson is, John Wall needs to come home. For good. He is still loved by Washingtonians and his successes and failures should be an example to young players, such as the young players who form the young core of the Wizards future. His effective playing days appear to be over but he should be brought on as an advisor and maybe he could switch to the coaching side of things to stay in the game but Washington should give him his next, and probably last, chance to stay in the show. He has earned that right.
The next lesson to be learned is from the football team that resides in Landover, Maryland, The Washington Commanders, just like the Wizards, have a new Front Office, a new coaching staff, and a beautiful mixture of veterans and young players. They’re where the Wizards want to be and will be in due time. It’s been over 20 years since the last time the Commanders have not only been in the playoffs but have found success. The Wizards haven’t won an NBA title since 1978 and have had plenty of playoff success but still haven’t won the last game of the year. If the Commanders are to teach one lesson to the Wizards fan base, it is this. It comes down to timing, competency, and culture. The Nats struck gold in 2019 and the Commanders are headed in the right direction but the question is, how long till the Wizards have that parade after the last game of the year? They’re headed in the right direction but don’t take my word for it. Commanders fans will tell you, it takes time and time is the one thing we have. HTTC.
