Wall Leads Wizards' Resurgence - NYTimes.com The Washington Wizards, whose playoff prospects are remote at best, have certainly picked an interesting time to peak. After the return of the third-year point guard John Wall on Jan. 12, the Wizards have a 23-20 record, propelling them from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to a tie for 10th in the standings. It's a far cry from where the Wall-less Wizards began the season. Owing to a combination of an anemic offense and a disinterested defense, the Wizards had one of the worst starts in N.B.A. history, losing 28 of their first 32 games . Lately, however, the Wizards - led by the second-year coach Randy Wittman - have transformed themselves from doormat to pesky upstart, lending a glimmer of hope to a snake-bitten franchise. Wall has been critical to Washington's resurgence. In 41 games, his productivity has risen across the board. Be it scoring (17.6 points on 44 percent shooting, including an encouraging 31 percent from 3-point range), distributing (7.6 assists per game, and an assist percentage of 45 percent), or overall efficiency (his 20.5 player efficiency rating is sixth among active starting point guards), Wall has managed to silence his critics. Three years ago, after a spectacular freshman season at Kentucky, Wall arrived in the N.B.A. awash in lofty expectations. Taken first over all by the Wizards, Wall had speed, quickness and vision, but he was also raw. His jumper was wildly inconsistent, and he had a propensity for turnovers. After a promising rookie season, Wall seemed to regress. His points and assists were down, his turnovers were up, and his already suspect 3-point shooting plummeted to an astounding 7 percent over 66 games. Even in the context of a lockout-shortened season, there was cause for concern. Sustaining a knee injury just before training camp didn't help. His progress once again deferred, Wall was forced to watch as his team collapsed out of the 2012-13 gate. By the time Wall returned in early January, the Wizards appeared poised to once again join the Charlotte Bobcats in the lottery-bound basement. Since then, however, the Wizards have reasserted themselves as up-and-comers in the East. The turnaround is impressive on a number of levels, but it has been Washington's defense that has put the rest of the league on notice. Over the last 42 games, the Wizards are third in defensive efficiency (98.6), fourth in opponent field-goal percentage (43.3 percent), second in opponent 3-point percentage (33.1 percent) and second in defensive rebounding percentage (75.6 percent). It may take a few more years - and more draft day talent - before the Wizards are relevant. With just four playoff appearances and one trip out of the first round since 1989, that day can't come soon enough for the Wizards and their long-suffering fans. Wins like the one Tuesday night might offer an encouraging glimpse of things to come. Facing a stingy Chicago Bulls team fighting for playoff position, the Wizards clawed their way back from a near-double-digit deficit - a basketball death sentence when facing Chicago - behind Wall's 27 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks to secure a 90-86 win. The Wizards - and Wall - might finally be turning a corner. All stats from NBA.com. Jim Cavan is a contributing writer at KnickerBlogger.net, a member of the ESPN TrueHoop network.His first book, co-written with a group of fellow N.B.A. bloggers, titled "We'll Always Have Linsanity: Strange Takes on the Strangest Season in Knicks History," was published recently. Follow him on Twitter (@JPCavan).