John Calipari Defends John Wall from Critics

John Wall’s old college coach, John Calipari, offered a nuance take on Wall‘s development as an NBA player (and the expectations that he faces.) From CSN Philly: “For John Wall, the 2010 top pick has been often criticized in his first two seasons as a pro despite putting up solid numbers. The Kentucky product posted averages of 16.3 points, 8.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 2011-12 — not too shabby — but are they star-like stats that many expected? […] ‘What’s happened is, you took a 19-year old and put the weight of the world on him, saying to him, ‘We’re expecting you to drag this team to another level.’ Well, there are no young guys [who can do that]. [Even] Anthony Davis isn’t that guy,’ Calipari said. ‘Now, if you have a good team, Anthony and John will make you better. If you remember, I had Derrick Rose. But the way the [ping pong] balls dropped, he ended up playing on a pretty good team. So, all of a sudden, he’s an All-Star in two years, and all of a sudden he becomes the MVP of the league. But he’s on a good team. So, what’ll happen is, as [the Wizards] build that team, John will come out more.'”