Washington Wizards Guard John Wall to Undergo Knee Treatment, Out for at Least Two Weeks
The Washington Wizards will have to hold down the fort for a couple of weeks while John Wall continues to deal with discomfort and inflammation in his left knee.
The four-time All-Star underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on Friday, and after consulting with Dr. Richard D. Parker at the Cleveland Clinic Marymount, the team has announced that Wall would receive platelet-rich plasma and viscosupplementation injections to reduce the inflammation in his knee. He's expected to be sidelined for approximately two weeks.
The Wizards also revealed that Wall originally injured his knee during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 7. He has been playing through the pain for weeks now, so shutting him down may be the best option if they want him to recover.
"We felt like this was the best thing," Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said before they took on the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, via ESPN. "We figure this is the early part of the season, and we're in no rush. Give him the best chance to come back," he added.
"I'm fine with John missing two weeks if this is going to make him better," Marcin Gortat said on Saturday. "Two weeks are not two months. We can cover for him for two weeks, and then he's going to come back stronger, better, healthy, and then hopefully we can go from there. That said, he's our leader," he continued.
Wall is averaging 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 16 games this season,
The Wizards started Tim Frazier at point guard in Saturday's 108–105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and he should continue to get the start while Wall is on the shelf. Bradley Beal will have to take on a little bit more of the ball-handling duties as well.
