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John Wall Pinpoints Wizards' Massive Mistake Early In His Career

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kurt Dama | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 11:45 PM ET

John Wall is considered one of his generation's best talents, yet the Washington Wizards achieved mediocre success during his prime. According to the speedy point guard, the team could have reached greater heights if they had selected Klay Thompson in the 2011 NBA Draft.

In a recent appearance on The Draymond Green Show , Wall criticized the Wizards for selecting Jan Vesely as their sixth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Picking the 6’11” Czech was understandable as he was being compared to Blake Griffin. But Wall felt the team needed a different type of player.

“I think we missed out on a couple of pieces. We could've drafted Klay,” John said. “We took Jan Vesely, the overseas Blake Griffin at that time. He was athletic but I'm like we need a two-guard. This was before we drafted Brad. We needed a two-guard. I need a two-guard knockdown shooter the way I get into paint.”

Thompson ended up as the 11th overall pick of the Golden State Warriors and fit seamlessly with Stephen Curry. They won four NBA Championships and are considered one of the greatest teams ever.

Wall is aware of the hit-and-miss nature of the NBA Draft. But at the same time, he felt the Wizards should’ve looked at the roster before it made moves.

If the Wizards properly evaluated the team’s strengths they could’ve ended with a superstar trio of Wall, Klay, and Bradley Beal.

“Imagine we draft Klay then next year you get Brad,” Wall said. “All right, we cool then, I'm straight. I got a two and a three that's shooting the piss out the ball. I'm okay with that.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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