4 Washington Wizards games to circle on your calendar
By Ethan Smith
October 30 vs Houston Rockets
The season doesn’t really start until the home opener. For the Washington Wizards, that means the season unofficially officially begins on October 30 when they take on the Houston Rockets.
There should certainly be a lot to watch in the opener after a long summer full of offseason changes. Only four players (Bradley Beal, Thomas Bryant, Jordan McRae, Troy Brown) from last year’s team will even be available on opening night. So there will be plenty of new faces to get to know right from the opening tip.
But maybe just as exciting as the new roster acquisitions are the new arena upgrades that are set to be unveiled during the upcoming season. Renovations to Capital One Arena were first announced back in March of this year, and are a continuation of the upgrades made in the summer of 2018.
Not only will this be the start of a new-look Wizards team in a new-look arena, but it’s also the beginning of a new era for the visiting Houston Rockets as they welcome Russell Westbrook to the team. In a summer with blockbuster trade after a blockbuster trade, the Rockets pulled off one of the most surprising deals all offseason and snatched Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Chris Paul and a ton of draft picks. The Wizards will be one of the first teams to face one of the NBA’s most ferocious and accomplished new duos.
Even if the Wizards aren’t setting them off, there should be a ton of fireworks during the home opener. The good guys might get slaughtered, but an early peek at what Westbrook and Harden can be should be fun.