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Probable Starters
Wizards: G – Burke, G – Beal, F – Porter, F – Morris, C – Gortat
Knicks: G – Jennings, G – Lee, F – Anthony, F – Porzingis, C – Plumlee
What to Watch For
Wall Debut? There’s a chance John Wall could make his preseason debut tonight, as he’s been ramping up his work each practice. His ultimate goal will be to be ready for the regular season opener on October 27th in Atlanta, but if he’s able to play limited minutes in the preseason, it will certainly give him the confidence that his body will be ready when the games count. The Wizards have four more preseason games after tonight, so even if Wall decides to play it safe and sit out tonight, he could play later in the week. Wall had offseason surgery on his knees after dealing with discomfort for much of last season.
Battle for Roster Spots: The past few years, the Wizards have had a pretty good idea of what there roster would look like heading into the regular season. But, heading into the 2016-17 season, there is a real battle for the last few spots on the team. The Wizards can keep a maximum of 15 players when the season starts in 2.5 weeks, so they’ll have to trim at least three players from the training camp roster. Coach Brooks discussed how difficult that decision will be after Sunday’s practice.
That group of young players played extra minutes last Thursday night in Philadelphia because the game went into double overtime, which gave the coaching staff an extended look at what they could do as a unit. As the regular season inches closer, the starters may play more minutes to get ready for the grind of the year, so look for those fighting for a roster spot to make their cases tonight and Thursday against Philadelphia.
Quick Start: While the games don’t count in the standings, the Wizards don’t want to create bad habits in the preseason. In each of their previous two games, they fell in a quick hole and started the game a bit sluggish. Look for them to try and take the first punch tonight and start the game with a little more juice, especially if they get an emotional boost from seeing Wall on the floor.
