The Washington Wizards revamped their roster this offseason and as the regular season looms, the team has plenty of decisions to make.
Not only do the Wizards have several veterans on the roster taking up minutes that could go to the young prospects, but it also has several high upside players to prioritize in which playing time could be of essence.
All that to say, head coach Brian Keefe will have a tough choice to make in the coming weeks as he begins to narrow down his rotation and decide how deep the Wizards roster will prove to be on a nightly basis.
Between the likes of Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, Washington already has several former first round picks to focus their playing time around.
Not including the wave of incoming additions like Tre Johnson, Cam Whitmore and CJ McCollum, who headline the abundance of huge moves made by general nanager Will Dawkins' this offseason.
The Wizards will have to decide how minutes should be split up and while Dawkins made it clear entering training camp that nothing would be given but instead earned, it's hard to imagine that the team's top pieces won't be a priority entering the season.
That said, minutes are already scarce as the regular season looms.
However, the tough decisions will only get tougher, especially after two Wizards' have emerged following Monday's win against the New York Knicks.
Tristan Vukcevic and Will Riley deserve playing time
The Wizards hit the road on Monday for their first road game of the preseason, where they knocked off the home team 120-103.
In the win, Washington saw several standout performances, but two talents in specific stood out.
Former second round pick, Tristan Vukcevic, who spent the offseason learning from former MVP Nikola Jokic during FIBA EuroBasket play, impressed off the bench.
Vukcevic posted 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, while shooting 6/9 from field goal range and 3/5 from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, rookie Will Riley flashed exactly why the Wizards took a swing on his potential in the back half of the first round this past offseason, totaling 17 points, two assists and two rebounds, while shooting 7/11 from field goal range.
There's no doubt that Washington has several other young players ahead of both Vukcevic and Riley, at least when discussing minutes at the start of the season.
Nonetheless, if both players continue playing at this high of a level, Keefe will be forced to consider awarding them with immediate minutes when the season begins, with the chance to carve out a sizable role from the jump.