Apr 8, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Washington Wizards guard AJ Johnson (5) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Which Wizards Guard Best Resembles John Wall?

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Tyrone Montgomery | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 5:00 PM ET

"Make me like Mike!" That is a saying from a basketball movie many people loved growing up as a kid called "Like-Mike." That quote from that movie basically meant they want to play like Michael Jordan on the court. As many people consider Jordan to be the greatest basketball player of all time, it is only right for one to say that or even have a desire to play like him. The Like Mike movie was released in 2002. With that being said, we didn't have LeBron James in the NBA at the time, as he was part of the 2003 NBA Draft Class. Many people consider him to be the greatest player of all time now. We also didn't have John Wall, who was a part of the 2010 NBA Draft Class. While he hasn't been in the greatest player of all time conversations, he has been in the greatest Washington Wizards players of all time. As the Washington Wizards are currently constructed, there is one player whose game resembles Wall the most.

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

AJ Johnson was acquired by the Wizards at the trade deadline last season from the Milwaukee Bucks. He was a young rookie who couldn't seem to find many minutes with the Bucks. As good as he's been, he may be happier than the Wizards that the trade happened. Now, he has the opportunity to truly show what he is made of. While there will never be another John Wall, there are players who may resemble him. As the Wizards will never duplicate Wall's contributions and may not even want to, Johnson's skills resemble Wall's game the most out of every player on the Wizards.

Wall attacked the basket fearlessly. He wasn't the biggest or the strongest guard on the floor every night. However, it didn't seem to matter the way he played the game of basketball. He was very athletic. His athleticism helped him win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2014. Johnson has a similar game to the way he attacks the basket. He may be the best in-game dunker on the Wizards at this time. Another thing to note is that Wall wasn't the best three-point shooter, as he shot 32% from three throughout his career. While it is early in Johnson's career, he is only shooting 27% from beyond the arc. Lastly, Wall has been a force defensively as he made the All-Defensive Team in 2015. As they both are athletic, Johnson has a chance to become a force defensively, too, just from his athleticism alone.

AJ Johnson may not be the next John Wall, but his game resembles him the most among the other Wizards players.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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