The Washington Wizards entered Sunday’s preseason opener with the hopes of showcasing the potential of the roster ahead of the long season. However, after an early injury, the team will have to wait to show off their big offseason acquisition.
Washington landed Malcolm Brogdon in the offseason during an NBA Draft night deal. The veteran joins a young Wizards roster hoping to make a leap in a stacked Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately, the guard's debut in his new threads has been postponed until further notice.
Malcolm Brogdon injured during practice
Brogdon was set to make his debut against the Raptors on Sunday before the Virginia product suffered an injury to his shooting hand in practice a day before the team’s preseason opener.
Malcolm Brogdon injured his shooting hand during yesterday's practice, Wizards coach Brian Keefe just said. Brogdon is headed back to D.C. now to get some imaging done. That imaging will reveal the extent of the injury.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) October 6, 2024
The 31-year-old will reportedly head back to Washington D.C. to get imaging done on the injury to find out how significant the injury is.
As a result of the injury, more minutes will open up for other playmakers in the backcourt looking for their chance to get involved sooner than expected.
Unfortunately, the team will be without a traditional point guard even more so than they were when fully healthy. And as Brian Keefe looks to solidify a rotation ahead of the season, the absence of Brogdon could alter his ability to do so.
Options in the absence of Brogdon
Depending on the timeline of Brogdon’s return, the Wizards could be forced to throw their young players into the fire early. One name to watch could be Bub Carrington who was drafted with the final pick in the lottery with high hopes to make an impact early.
In addition to Carrington, the Wizards' other options in the backcourt would be Kira Lewis Jr. and Jared Butler who both lack experience.
As the team waits for more information on Brogdon’s injury, they’ll need to experiment with their young backcourt depth to see if they have a potential replacement for the former Sixth Man of the Year already on the roster.
Nonetheless, sending the guard back to Washington to get images means one of two things. Either the team is taking precautions with the hopes of getting a quick timeline for his return. Or, the Wizards fear Brogdon could miss an extended period of time and need to prepare to make additional moves.
That said, if the Wizards newest addition is set to miss an extended time, Washington could look to the free agency market in search of potential guard additions.