Preseason is always the time for ridiculous overreactions. If your team is playing well, then everything is going to be awesome during the season, and if they're struggling, well, it's just preseason. The Washington Wizards are coming into this season with a lot to prove after tanking for the past few years.
Preseason isn't going to tell the full story on how this year will go, but there are always bits and pieces that shine a light on how the team will operate. From rotations and schemes to who plays and who doesn't, these are three of the biggest storylines Wizards fans should tune into for preseason as the team looks to leap to playoff contender.
Who are the mainstays off the bench going to be?
The Wizards have a much deeper bench than people realize for a team that hasn't been good in the past few years. Assuming the starting lineup will be Trae Young, Kyshawn George, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis, and Alex Sarr, the bench has some staple pieces and some people fighting for rotational spots.
Let's start with the obvious players who are going to play every night. Tre Johnson was the sixth overall pick last season, and he showed signs of being an elite shooter. Deandre Ayton, while frustrating at times, will be a quality backup big for this team, and he'll provide some insurance if Davis or Sarr miss time. Bilal Coulibaly is going into his fourth season, and he's one of the better defensive players on the team.
Those three are locks to play every day; then it gets a little murky. Most teams only play nine or 10 guys a night, max. That leaves one or two spots up for grabs for the group of Bub Carrington, Khris Middleton, Will Riley, Tre Mann, and Justin Champagnie. Middleton might be a safe bet for one of the spots after signing a three-year deal and still providing solid spacing and leadership. Then it probably comes down to Carrington or Mann for the backup point guard job. Either way, it will be interesting to see who gets the nod in Brian Keefe's rotations early on.
How back-to-form do Anthony Davis and Trae Young look?
No matter how promising the Wizards' young core is, their playoff hopes in an incredibly deep Eastern Conference hinge on how well Davis and Young play. Both had extremely forgettable seasons last year and are looking to prove not only to themselves, but to the Wizards and the rest of the NBA that they're still All-Star and All-NBA-caliber players.
If Davis shows signs of getting back to the two-way force he's always been, and Young shows that he can still be an offensive system all by himself, then the optimism surrounding the team will only grow. Not to mention, Davis is playing for a contract as well as his reputation, so it's more important than ever that he has a successful season.
How connected does the defense look?
Putting up points shouldn't be an issue for the Wizards this season. Even during their tanking seasons, they had players capable of having explosive offensive games. Their biggest issue has been defense. On paper, their defense should be very solid: Davis and Sarr are two of the game's better rim protectors, George and Coulibaly are solid perimeter defenders, and Dybantsa projects, at minimum as a solid defender at the NBA level.
However, these are all hypotheticals for now. We've never seen this starting lineup on the court together, and there are still players on the team with defensive limitations: Young, Carrington, and Johnson. How well their flaws can be hidden on the defensive end remains to be seen. The pieces are in place for success; it's just about it translating now.
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