John Wall v Eric Bledsoe

JohnWall2 · Post #1 » by **JohnWall2** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 4:33 am

Ridiculous debate going on in the Suns forum at the moment about Bledsoe being better or at least equal to Wall. As a Suns and Wall fan I cannot agree. I think if we had switched the two players for the past 2 seasons the Suns would have made the playoffs in the West due to the upgrade. I just wanted to hear from Wiz fans about this? Suns fans will argue that Bledsoe is just as athletic, a better defender and a better shooter whereas Wall only trumps Eric on court vision. Very limited thinking imo but what are your thoughts?

Post #2 » by **nate33** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 1:17 pm

Wall is much better on the fast break, he's a better passer, and, most importantly, Wall has one of the highest basketball IQ's in the league. The guy is a genius at manipulating defenses. Wall is a true PG. Bledsoe is merely a "guard".

Also, I'm not convinced Bledsoe is a better shooter. They're practically the same from 3 point range (Bledsoe is .345 over the last 3 years, Wall is .325), they're the same from the FT line, and Wall is significantly better from 16-22 feet.

Post #3 » by **TheSecretWeapon** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 1:36 pm

It's not outrageous to compare the two -- Wall is a very good player and there isn't an ocean of difference between them. It would take a homer to argue Bledsoe is better.

The claim that Bledsoe is the better shooter is one of those things that true, but not very meaningful. The numbers from last season would suggest the two are "about the same" at shooting with a slim edge to Bledsoe.

In fact, looking at what these guys do per 100 team possessions, "about the same" is the phrase that comes to mind. Bledsoe got to the FT line a little more often, and he rebounded a little better. Steals, blocks and fouls were about the same. Wall committed turnovers at a slightly higher rate. In the defense part of PPA, Wall rated a little ahead of Bledsoe on defense, but not by a big margin. The big difference between the two: assists. Wall got 14.1 assists per 100 team possessions last season; Bledsoe got 8.8.

And this isn't a case where Bledsoe was tasked with more scoring responsibility -- Wall shot just as often (a little more frequently, actually), and they're scoring rates were virtually identical. It's a reflection that while these guys are comparable in a number of ways, Wall's court vision and passing ability are significantly ahead of Bledsoe's.

Higga · Post #4 » by **Higga** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 4:35 pm

Most opposing fans are idiots.

J-Ves · Post #5 » by **J-Ves** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 5:33 pm

The difference is you can build a team around John Wall and expect to win, Bledsoe is merely a good player. Both guys are good at a number of things(defense, rebounding) and Bledsoe has been the more efficient scorer but Bledsoe lacks a truly elite skill while Wall is one of the leagues top play-makers.

Dat2U · Post #6 » by **Dat2U** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 5:56 pm

I imagine Wall in Phoenix with the spacing they've had the last two years would have been dynamite. I'm sure his TS% would be higher and he'd probably tack on a few more assists. He'd have driving lanes in Phoenix he's rarely in DC. I would have to think Phoenix would have been a definite playoff team.

thricethefun · Post #7 » by **thricethefun** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:54 pm

Bledsoe to me is a great player and a top 15 guard in the league. Before last season I would have put him and Wall on the same level but i think Wall has a surpassed him by a fair bit now. That being said Phoenix is one of my favorite teams outside of the Wiz so I hope nothing but the best for Bledsoe and the Suns.

JohnWall2 · Post #8 » by **JohnWall2** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 8:52 pm

Nice guys, some good insight here of which I pretty much agree with it all.

payitforward · Post #9 » by **payitforward** » Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:25 pm

As Kev writes, there's not much to choose between Bledsoe and Wall overall. Still, even though it's an unprovable speculation, I can buy Dat's point that if he were w/ the Suns, Wall's numbers would be even better than they are here. And I can imagine that if Bledsoe were here instead of Wall, we might be less good than we are, though that too is speculation.

It doesn't matter in either case -- or the overall comparison -- since we'd never trade Wall for Bledsoe. Still, Bledsoe is a heck of a player. It's not a stretch that he's among the top 15-20 guards in the league.

What is worth mentioning, however, is that Eric Bledsoe went #18 in the draft. Wall was the #1 pick. Bledsoe went one pick after Kevin Seraphin.

So maybe the better question is: which two-player combo is better -- DeMarcus Cousins/Eric Bledsoe or Kevin Seraphin/John Wall? :evil:

Chocolate City Jordanaire · Post #10 » by **Chocolate City Jordanaire** » Sun Aug 23, 2015 4:00 pm

Before they all reached the NBA, in one junior international game Kevin Seraphin rejected at least a couple of Cousins' shots. At that time Kevin looked really athletic in transition. Since that time IMO DeMarcus Cousins has leaned out and gotten much stronger. He's improved significantly since his rookie year. Kevin Seraphin didn't evolve much if at all as a Wizard IMO.

Years ago, I posted about the 15-20 games Seraphin and Vesely started together back in 2011-2012. Kevin has posted about Seraphin's PPA as a starter back then. I recall predicting the young Wizard players would suffer career setbacks once Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza were acquired. Don't wish to waste energy defending that prediction.

What I will say now is Seraphin I believe will eventually be a star in Europe. KS is not projected to start for the Knicks. He is right to pursue being a starter somewhere.

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