National Basketball Association

Washington Wizards' John Wall Sprains Ankle, Will Play Against Oklahoma City Thunder

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:46 p.m. ET

Fansided, Ben Mehic/FanSided via Wiz of Awes

Washington Wizards star John Wall has developed a reputation of playing through injuries and won’t miss a game due to a sprained ankle.

John Wall broke his hand against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2015 NBA Playoffs and returned to play for the Washington Wizards.

Some players, including Wall’s teammates – both current and in the past – have built a reputation of nursing injuries, but Wall is the opposite.

Since his rookie season, Wall has rushed back to play for the Wizards following injuries, even when the playoffs were out of the equation.

Against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, Wall took a charge against Jeff Teague in transition – a sign of a player who would literally put his body on the line for the sake of getting another offensive possession.

In the process, Wall turned and sprained his ankle.

Despite the injury, Wall won’t be missing any game-action, according to J.Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.

Washington is just a game ahead of the Toronto Raptors for the third spot in the Eastern Conference and just a game behind the Boston Celtics for the second spot below the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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The Wizards’ bench is last in scoring and the front office has failed to find a spark off the bench.

Wall’s presence, as well as the rest of the starters’, has been necessary for the Washington Wizards to win games.

Knowing how important he is to the team’s success, Wall will play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night – a nationally televised game.

Wall will be matched up against Russell Westbrook, who’s been the leading candidate for this year’s Most Valuable Player Award.

Westbrook, who’s also known for his physicality and quickness, will inevitably force Wall to test his ankle.

If the Washington Wizards had a reliable option off the bench, Wall would’ve been able to take the game off to recover, but the second unit’s incompetence makes that almost impossible.

Perhaps even more importantly, at least in Wall’s eyes, the fans will be able to see what’s arguably the most intriguing point guard match up in the NBA. Instead of cheating the fans out of the competition, Wall will play hurt – just as he’s done for his entire career.