After sitting nearly the first quarter of the NBA season, five-time All-Star John Wall now wants to fulfill his role as a player for the Houston Rockets.
Wall spoke to Rockets officials and stated his desire is to play, have a starting role and compete to maintain it, but the franchise informed him that they want him to come off the bench, and not start, in order to play, sources tell The Athletic. The outcome of the conversations is that Wall will continue to sit out games while remaining professional and being around and engaged with the team, sources said. Rockets officials informed Wall in their conversations on Sunday that they were not willing to guarantee him a starting role.
After mutually agreeing prior to training camp that he would be around the franchise and not play in games as the team searches for a trade. Wall, 31, has sat and watched these Rockets (3-16) in training camp, practices and regular-season games and has made it clear privately that he wants to return to the floor.
The Rockets want Wall to come off the bench, sources said, but the one-time All-NBA guard believed he at least deserved the opportunity to compete for a starting spot in training camp. Houston informed players during free agency that the team viewed Wall as a reserve this upcoming season, sources said.
