"I feel great, other than me shooting free throws like Shaq" - John Wall happy about his play early in the season, takes shot at Shaquille O'Neal
John Wall took a shot at Shaquille O'Neal while talking about his performance for the LA Clippers early in the season. Wall is very happy with the way he has played in his first two games. The only thing he's unsatisfied with is his free throw shooting.
In an interview after the Clippers' 112-95 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Wall was asked to assess his performance in the two games he has played this season. The 32-year-old guard said that he feels good despite being unable to play in back-to-back games. He likes his speed and rhythm but wants to improve on his foul shots.
"I feel great, other than me shooting free throws like Shaq," Wall said. "That's p*ssing me off, but other than that, I feel good. I got my speed. I got my rhythm. Just trying to play the right way, push the pace for these guys."
He continued:
"Get the fastbreak points; push the pace, and keep the flow going in our game. I think, a lot of times we start off slow and kind of stagnant that we get playing 1-on-1, which we're trying to get away from and try to keep the ball moving from side-to-side."
John Wall made his debut for the LA Clippers in their 103-97 win over the LA Lakers last week. He had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench. He missed the Clippers' next game against the Sacramento Kings due to load management.
Wall returned on Sunday to face the Phoenix Suns. He finished with 17 points and four assists, but the Clippers were blown out of the arena, losing 112-95. Wall is averaging 16.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals, and shooting 51.9%.
“I feel great, other than me shooting free throws like Shaq. That’s pissing me off, but other than that, I feel good. I got my speed, I got my rhythm. Just trying to play the right way, push the pace for these guys.”
- John Wall https://t.co/6YdH4MTPFN
As mentioned earlier, Wall is unhappy with his free throw shooting. He compared himself with Shaquille O'Neal, who was a poor free throw shooter. Wall is 2-for-8 from the free throw line this season.
How bad was Shaquille O'Neal at free throws?
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He's one of the most dominating players the game has ever seen. However, there was a glaring weakness to his game — free throws.
The LA Lakers legend shot 52.7% from the charity stripe during his 19-year career. He attempted 11,252 free throws but made just 5,935. If he was at least a decent free throw shooter, he would have been much higher on the all-time scoring list.
John Wall's tough journey to LA Clippers
The last time John Wall played an injury-free campaign was during the 2016-17 season when he was with the Washington Wizards. Wall missed half of the 2017-18 season due to a left knee injury. He then suffered a left heel injury 32 games into the 2018-19 season.
While recovering from the injury, John Wall developed an infection and tore his left Achilles tendon. He was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2020 but ended up playing just 40 games for them.
He sat out the entire season as part of the Rockets' rebuilding before signing with the LA Clippers as a free agent this summer.