It'll be different when he's facing Chris Paul. Or Rajon Rondo. John Wall didn't face anyone he'll likely see this season. So we're not going to go overboard on what we saw him do in his Wizards debut Sunday night.
We'll just say that he's the best guard we've ever seen and the Wizards will win the title this season.
Oops, sorry ... got a little carried away. Which, after watching Wall, was easy to do. Not that he was perfect; he wasn't. But he showed why he was the No. 1 pick, and that really is all we wanted to see.
It was much the same with Stephen Strasburg in spring training. We didn't expect perfection; we just wanted to see why he was so hyped -- and whether he was worth the glowing praise. He was. Look at him now.
Wall made mistakes; he turned the ball over too much in the first half, and early in the game his shot was inconsistent -- his form wasn't always right. But the more he played, the more he gained his rhythm and the better he shot.
Wall, who had 24 points, eight assists and eight turnovers in the 84-79 win over Golden State, displayed what we like to see from a point guard in the NBA: He creates opportunities. Wall, who loved starting on the left side, would get to the foul line with ease and take a jumper or dish off. He even made JaVale McGee (21 points, 12 rebounds) look good.
And here's a warning to the rest of the NBA: Get back on defense fast. In the first half, Wall took an outlet pass after a basket, sprinted downcourt, beat Golden State's players and laid in a basket while drawing a foul. Uh, he's fast.
He excels at splitting double teams, with an uncanny knack for changing directions in tight spaces, sort of like a running back. Wall executes the pick-and-roll well and loves the lob.
Oh, and his on-the-ball defense was pretty good. We didn't know a point guard could play defense wearing that uniform.
Wall was the best player on the court, as he should have been considering his status and who he was facing. One day, perhaps soon, we could be saying that when the games actually matter.