Kentucky’s Mike Ballenger analyzes Kentucky freshman John Wall and compares the guard to other great Wildcats.
I don’t think there’s any doubt he has every single thing that you would want. We want a guy who can play defense, pass, run, shoot, jump and play with good basketball sense and savvy. All those things you think about in a basketball player, he’s got them all.
He’s got good feet, good hands. He looks like he’s a pretty good shooter, and he has good form on free throws, which is a really good sign, because you’ll want the ball in his hands late.
He’s amazingly quick – with or without the ball. Obviously, that makes up for a lot when you’re out on the court.
This is a prime example. Early in the UConn game last week, he and Eric Bledsoe passed the ball back and forth while running downcourt. Bledsoe threw it up, and Wall caught it with two hands and dunked it. I don’t know if Kentucky has ever had a guard who can do stuff like that.
It wasn’t just that he dunked it with two hands. The defender turned his head, and Wall knew to go up and get it. Having those instincts nine games into your college career is pretty good. He’ll even tell you, as great as he’s been so far, there’s a big difference between high school and college basketball.
As talented as he is, he’s got very good basketball instincts, too. That makes a difference.
I don’t think he ever takes it too far. I think he knows exactly when to pull up for a jump shot. I think he knows when he can take another dribble or take it to the hole. I think he understands when to get rid of it.
I’d just like to watch him run a couple miles as fast as he could. I think his cardio level is tremendous.
He’s not just mile-a-minute, boom-boom-boom up the court, and he looks like a crazy person. He has a full understanding of when to slow it down and when to pick it up. He has very good instincts of how the game is going and what he needs to do to keep it headed in the right direction for Kentucky to win.
You’d have to group Wall with four other players as far as making an immediate impact at Kentucky.
I think Kenny Walker was great. Kyle Macey is up there, too. Rex Chapman showed some similar abilities. Rex probably had better range, and he could get up and pass well, too. Sam Bowie certainly was great.
I hate that every time Oden gets hurt, they bring up Sam’s name. When Sam was healthy, he was amazingly instinctive, a good shot blocker. He kept the ball in play, so you could create a turnover. He was a good passer, a good scorer. He was a really good physical rebounder.
I don’t think you could find another five guys who made such an impact so quickly.
Mike Ballenger played under Joe B. Hall at Kentucky (1981-82) and currently resides in Columbus, OH.
Got a question or comment? E-mail him here
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