Here are three more key storylines to follow going into training camp.
We are only a couple of days away from training camp, which is expected to bring a lot of intriguing storylines. Whether it is the new front office, the revamped coaching staff or some of the new players on the roster, there is plenty to look at. Here are three more storylines to keep an eye on throughout training camp and perhaps during the season as well.
If you haven’t read Greg Finberg’s three storylines piece, click on the link below.
1. Sorting out Big Man Depth
The Wizards have given the keys for their big man rotation to Daniel Gafford. Gafford has a lot of nature gifts that makes him an effective player, but he has struggled with foul trouble and also against some of the stronger NBA centers. When these moments come up, what will the Wizards do? Is the answer to go to veteran back up big man, and newcomer, Mike Muscala? Is it to going to be Taj Gibson? Or will they find some other solutions? No matter what, there is no clear cut option that would give most fans confidence in this group. It will be interesting to see how this situation will play out.
2. How will Coulibaly look next to NBA talent?
Whenever there are rookies drafted, the roles they play in Summer League don’t always reflect what they will do when they are playing with the NBA roster. This applies to Bilal Coulibaly as well. In Summer League, he was asked to be one of the Wizards’ primary scorers and there were some positives and negatives from that experience. With the NBA roster though, he will get to play off of players like Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma and others who will be expected to carry the offensive load. Watching how ‘B-Coul’ adapts to that and how his game grows, even in preseason will give us a glimpse of his impact this season.
3. Who’s going to crack the rotation off the bench?
There are a good mix of veteran and young players on this roster, particularly on the bench. The question will be, will the team look to feature veteran like Danilo Gallinari and Landry Shamet, possibly to trade at some point during the season, or will the team focus more on developing players like Johnny Davis, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and others. How the team handles these rotations should give us an early glimpse of the vision for this team this year.
These are the topics, as well as many others, that make this team an exciting watch this season. There are so many unknowns and so much that we will learn about this front office, this coaching staff and the future of this franchise.