John Wall Says The Lack Of Defense In The NBA Makes The Sport Look Like Pickup: ‘It’s Hard To Watch’

If you can’t stand today’s NBA product, don’t worry. Neither can John Wall.

The former Washington Wizard legend (who retired in 2023) knows a thing or two about how the NBA works. In addition to playing for the Wizards, he spent time with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers over an 11-year span. Wall has seen the style of play change significantly since he started his career, and he doesn’t like it all.

Why? Even though NBA scoring is at an all-time high, teams rarely focus on the defensive side of the game.

"It’s hard to watch because nobody’s playing defense. There's a lot of shots…for me it's like playing pickup," Wall said. "If you want a bucket, you can go get a bucket. You want to go one-on-one, go one-on-one."

He’s absolutely correct. The NBA has put such a high priority on rule changes that benefit offense that defense has suffered significantly (one example being the defensive three seconds rule). Plus, NBA referees are so quick to call fouls on defenders that it makes it nearly impossible for anyone to play solid defense. While defense certainly isn’t the sexiest element of the game, trying to eliminate it is incredibly unwise.

Nba stars like Kyrie Irving (right) and Luka Doncic (left) have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of the league's crusade to heavily penalize playing defense. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Wall wasn’t lying about the amount of shots teams are taking, especially 3s. No team in the NBA shoots less than 30 3-pointers in a game, and the Boston Celtics average the most with 42. 

I’m all for taking and making 3s. But the combination of minimal defense and an excessive amount of them leads to a pretty boring product that does resemble pick-up basketball. 

If the NBA would enact some rule changes to make the game feature more defense, that would help the product improve a lot. But I think the Utah Jazz would have a better chance of winning the Western Conference this season than those changes actually happening.