Does John Wall signing improve Clippers’ NBA title chances?

John Wall – one of the NBA’s forgotten superstars – has joined the Los Angeles Clippers to compete for a title, penning a two-year deal worth just over $13 million.

The explosive point guard will be hoping he can finally stay healthy enough to contribute to winning basketball. After breaking out with the Washington Wizards, Wall was given a huge contract in 2013 and then dealt with a myriad of injuries. In the past five years, Wall has only played 113 games.

That being said, this is a pretty low-risk contract given by the Clippers. He is only 31 years old, and if he can stay healthy, he could theoretically go back to the All-Star level of play he displayed when he was on the Wizards. With the Wizards, Wall was considered one of the best players in the game and made five straight NBA All-Star teams. Since that run, however, injuries have hindered him and in 2020 he was traded to Rockets, where he only played 40 games in two seasons.

Now, he joins a Clippers team that has dealt with its own injuries over the past couple seasons. Kawhi Leonard, the Clips superstar, missed all of last season, but it looks like he will be healthy for the start of this coming campaign. Also, the Clippers have Paul George, who was only able to play 31 games last season. If all three of these guys can stay healthy, the Clippers will be a force to be reckoned with.

That is a big ‘if’, however, and it’s hard to project health on this injury-prone team. That being said, the Clippers have a strong roster and should be a playoff team. If it all works out, few teams can match the Clippers. They have a bunch of guys who can play on both sides of the court, and Wall could be the missing piece who makes their offense scary good.

People have somewhat forgotten the talent that Wall is. Sure, there is a lot of wear and tear in his knees and that is a rightful concern, but he was an elite offensive point guard before the injuries struck. At the time, he was clearly the fastest player on the court and defenders could barely stay in front of him. If he can regain that level of play, the Clippers should be a title favorite. Even if Wall gets to 75% of his previous level, the Clippers will be in the mix towards the end of next year’s NBA Playoffs.

Wall is currently +8000 with Bovada to win Sixth Man of the Year. The main concern with that play is that while he will likely start the season on the bench, he may win a starting position at some stage. If the Clippers decide to limit his minutes and keep him healthy, he will run the second-unit offense and be in contention for this award. Sure, he has to stay on the court, but if he does, there will be few bench pieces who can match Wall’s impact. Put a few dollars on this because the odds are well worth a shot.

The Clippers are the fourth-biggest favorites to win the NBA Championship at +650. While we like the Clippers to be in the mix, this line is way too short and the concern about injuries is too much. If everything works out, there will be better lines during the season to bet on the Clippers and it’s just not worth it right now. The Clippers are a high-risk, high-reward team and now is not the time to buy in. We recommend waiting for the lines to get a little longer before buying in on this LA team.

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