Transcendent players raise the play of their surrounding teammates. NBA.com, and that doesn’t even count secondary passes, or “hockey assists.” It also doesn’t count the times when he put a player in a great position and they got fouled and made the free throws. Wall was also the best player this year in setting up the corner three, which has been shown to be the most efficient shot, outside of a dunk. Wall is a great passer and his teammates reaped the rewards this year in terms of their own stats and production.

How Does it Affect Ariza, the Free Agent?

If Marcin Gortat's five-year, $60 million contract is any indication, these two guys owe John Wall a significant amount of money.

There's an increase need for solid “3 and D” guys, or players who excel at shooting three pointers and defending on the perimeter. Think about who the best players in the world are – LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, heck, even Kawhi Leonard. Having a guy who can space the floor, knock down shots, and defend those guys is supremely valuable.

That is exactly why Lance Stephenson is demanding such a large contract on the open market, despite being well known as a lunatic. Quality perimeter talent is hard to come by and teams are forced to take risks and overpay for it.

The market projections for Ariza are right around the $6 million per year mark, but he will definitely get more than that. After coming off a career year, the dearth of guys at his position, and his $7.3 million salary last year, Ariza and his agent will certainly be looking at an upgrade.

And the Wizards will probably be willing to pay that. But when 92% of his production comes with John Wall on the floor, they, and other teams, should also realize who he is as a player. Whatever Ariza makes this summer, he should definitely take Wall out to dinner and thank him for his new contract.