John Wall (back spasms) did not practice on Saturday. This is discouraging news. He managed to play through the injury on Friday against the Sixers and score 26 points to go with 6 assists and 3 steals. However, half those points came in the first five minutes of the game, before the back pain crept up. Keep an eye on his status for Sunday.

John Wall (back spasms) said his back "hurts badly right now." He added this was his first time dealing with a back issue, which is always a strange feeling for a young player. Wall said he started feeling the back pain in the third quarter and played through it during the second half. The training staff was working on him by the bench and he never went to the locker room. He should be questionable for Sunday and Eric Maynor would see more playing time should Wall not be able to go.

John Wall dealt with back spasms in Friday's loss to the Sixers. The training staff was working on his lower back in the fourth quarter for a few minutes, then he did come back to finish the game. Wall said he expects to play Sunday, but there's a chance he might have to play through some pain for a while. He was terrific on Friday and scored 13 points in the first five minutes of the game, finishing with 26 points, five boards, six assists, three steals and two 3-pointers on 10-of-19 shooting 34 minutes.

John Wall had 20 points, 11 assists and three steals in Wednesday's loss to the Pistons. Wall hit just 8-of-21 shot and was 0-for-4 from downtown, but this is a promising sign of things to come once his shots start dropping. And they will.

John Wall had just three points, two rebounds and four assists on 1-of-7 shooting Wednesday. He played 26 minutes, but just didn't do much with them. That makes two preseason duds in a row for Wall, but we'll be shocked if he doesn't look like a different player on opening night.

John Wall hit 5-of-11 shots, was 0-for-3 from downtown and didn't hand out a single assist in 27 minutes of Tuesday's loss. Wall finished with 11 points and two rebounds, but didn't do much else. It was just a preseason game so don't get too depressed about the poor line. Wall really came on over the second half of last season and shot the ball very well, and we're expecting him to pick up where he left off when the games start counting. He also had 14 points and eight assists last Thursday, so tonight's line is more of a fluke than anything else.

John Wall handed out eight assists and didn't turn the ball over in 28 minutes against the Knicks on Thursday, adding 14 points with two steals and one 3-pointer. He shot 6-of-15 from the field, but did take six attempts from beyond the arc. Wall has made a clear effort to build on his offensive game, so we can't blame him for shooting 34.0 percent in the preseason. He'll look to build off a tremendous second half last year and he should be a top-10 point guard in 2013-14.

In an interview, Wall gave his goal for the upcoming season: "If I don't make the playoffs, it's a waste of time." Wall said he was happy to sign a contract extension, however, "That's nothing if you're not making the playoffs." Wall is clearly gearing himself up to be a leader for the Wizards this season. It's difficult to lead from the bench and the Wizards will need Wall healthy and on the court if they want any chance at the playoffs.

John Wall scored 40 points with 10 boards and 10 assists in a University of Kentucky alumni game. "[Eric Bledsoe] told me I wasn't going to get 40, so I went to go get 40," Wall said. This isn't Earth-shattering news for Wall, but it's nice to see he can stuff the stat sheet even when it doesn't count. The Wizards locked him up with a five-year, $80 million deal and he's going to be the team's main man this season. He averaged 20.7 points and 7.8 dimes after the break and could be flirting with first-round value in his fourth season.

John Wall is organizing a "mini-camp" for Wizards players prior to training camp, and he expects the entire team to be together after Labor Day. Wall said that he's been "working out with coaches ... [and] getting everybody organized" in preparation for the mini-camp, and it's great to see him assume a leadership role after inking a five-year, $80 million extension in July.