Wizards’ Wall ruptures Achilles in fall at home
Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will be sidelined for more than a year after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while slipping and falling at his home, the team announced Tuesday.
Wall, who already was out for the remainder of this season because of an injured heel, will have surgery for the Achilles injury. He is expected to be to be able to return to full basketball activities in approximately 12 months.
Despite being without star point guard John Wall and going through a pair of 2-9 stretches, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said Washington is still making a run for the playoffs, and that the idea of tanking is “offensive.”
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The team has not determined a date for the surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Robert Anderson. The rupture was discovered by a team doctor during a procedure to clean out an infection in the incision that developed after surgery on Wall’s left heel in January.
Wall, a five-time All-Star, averaged 20.7 points and 8.7 assists in 32 games this season.
He played in only 41 games last season, when he had an operation on his left knee. Wall also had surgery on both knees in 2016.
Even though the team has been without Wall for 18 games, during which the Wizards have gone 9-9, owner Ted Leonsis insisted last week that he expects Washington to make a run for a playoff spot.
“You have to go to the players, the coach, the staff and say, ‘Do we have enough to make the playoffs?’ And to a person, I was told, ‘Yes we do,'” Leonsis told WTOP last week.
The Wizards are 22-31 this season, sitting in 10th in the Eastern Conference, three games back of the eighth-place Miami Heat.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.