John Wall is intent on not turning the ball over as much this season, and he plans to punish himself when it happens.
Wall turned the ball over 3.8 times per game last season — something that he knows can’t happen in order for the Washington Wizards to succeed in the playoffs. In a recent feature, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post revealed that Wall plans to penalize himself $100 for every three-turnover game he has this year.
He also wants to improve his shot selection and turnover rate. To incentivize the cause, Wall will pay assistant coach Howard Eisley $100 for every game he commits more than two turnovers. Worst-case scenario, that’s a $8,200 loss.
“So that means take care of the ball,” Wall said.
As Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk notes, that fine system would have cost Wall $6,200 last season, as he had three or more turnovers in 62 games. While that isn’t exactly going to bankrupt a guy who will make more than $15 million over the next 12 months, you have to admire the commitment.
