John Wall: Wizards will be fine until I come back

• Wall will miss the next eight weeks recovering from an injured right kneecap
• The 2010 No. 1 pick worked with a shooting coach to improve his jump shot
• Wall is confident the Wizards will play well in his absence

WASHINGTON -- Washington Wizards point guard John Wall wants to remain positive.

"Just try to learn as much as I can from the sideline while watching my team throughout training camp and just believe in my coaches and my team as we try to get better," Wall said.

But Wall, 23, also acknowledged the truth about his injured right kneecap, an injury that will sideline him for about the next eight weeks, including the first month of the season.

"I worked as hard as I could to better myself this offseason," Wall said at the Wizards' media day Monday. "It's kind of frustrating. ... It's definitely a big blow for me."

Bummed when he got the news, Wall said he turned off his phone and didn't talk to anyone on the 4½ drive from his hometown of Raleigh, N.C., to Washington.

A pivotal season for Wall has been delayed.

The news that he is out for all of training camp deflated the mood for the Wizards, who are expecting so much from Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, as they finally removed all remnants from the Gilbert Arenas gun incident, using the amnesty clause on forward/center Andray Blatche in the summer.

Not one player from the 2009-10 team -- not any of the knuckleheads who didn't help Wall's growth -- is on the Wizards roster.

It's a new era for the Wizards as owner Ted Leonsis has shown great patience in general manager Ernie Grunfeld, who has built a team with an interesting mix of veterans and young players.

And it starts with Wall. For now, all Wall can do is watch practice and play video games. He can't even try to knock down some pins.

"I can't bowl. That's my favorite hobby, and I can't do it," he said.

Wall knew something wasn't right with his knee late in the summer. He tried resting it, but the discomfort didn't dissipate.

"It's kind of like tendinitis, but it got worse," Wall said. "I wish I could have figured it out sooner so I could start the season off right. I'm just glad they found it before it got real bad. It could've been worse. I could have torn it and missed the whole season."

He's expected to miss the first month -- about 12 or 13 games. "I'm young. Hopefully it will heal quicker than it takes with older people."

During the summer, Wall had a productive week as part of the U.S. select team, which practiced against the U.S. Olympic team, and he worked with shooting coach Dave Hopla on his jumper -- which needed improvement. Wall has shot just 41.6% in his first two years, including 7.1% on three-pointers last season. Hopla worked on Wall's balance and follow-through on shots.

Still, Wall averaged 16.3 points and eight assists last season, just one of three players to do that. Deron Williams and Chris Paul were the other two.

"I believe in what I worked on this summer, and I'll still be able to do it when I come back," he said. "When I start making jump shots, it's going to be tough to stop me.

"I know coming in here I have a lot of expectations, but that's my goal, to get the Wizards back where they belong, and that's in the playoffs. Hopefully, we can contend for a championship soon."

In the meantime, "I trust those guys. I trust our team. I love the decisions we made," Wall said. "They can play very well without me. We're going to be a different team, but I still have confidence and believe in my teammates."