John Wall begins his journey with the Washington Wizards in Las Vegas on Sunday. If he fulfills the promise and potential that are hoped and expected of him, eventually two roads will diverge in his NBA career.

Which one will he travel?

Two starkly different options were laid out this week by LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Wall already may lean toward the road taken by James, with whom he is a close friend. Although still just 19, Wall has an understanding well beyond his age of what that path looks like.

"That's crazy to have a whole hour [TV] segment just to pick where he's going to go," Wall said Wednesday. "But hey, if you're LeBron James, you can do certain things like that. "You establish yourself on the basketball court and off the court. To market him as the top NBA player, it means a lot."

Wall has been calculated enough to take on intense Kentucky fans, headline-hungry John Calipari and the legacy of point guards Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. He's also shown savvy with the Wizards, choosing a jersey number (No. 2) that can be turned into a Roman numeral that reflects his actual favorite number.

But he's also hoping to live as close to Verizon Center as possible just so he can work out at any hour he desires, a strong step toward proving a genuine love for the game as much as the attention that comes with it, something Durant does effortlessly.

"I'm not faking it," Durant told reporters at the NBA Summer League in Orlando, Fla., after nondescriptly tweeting about the new five-year contract extension he signed 60 seconds after it was offered. "I'm not here at summer league because I want everybody to think I'm a good person. I didn't put it on Twitter because I want everybody to think that. That's just how I am, and people like it I guess."

The length of Durant's deal also demonstrates his commitment to Oklahoma City (sorry, Wizards fans). Regardless of James' abilities on the court and the decision he announced Thursday, he has held Cleveland hostage the past three seasons.

Wall likely will be offered a similar choice, with the ability to influence the Wizards' future and his own.

The player he chooses to emulate could make all the difference.