Round Two With the Hornets: Three Storylines to Monitor Heading Into Wizards' NBA Cup Debut

The Washington Wizards have a few fresh wounds to address entering their second run-in with the Charlotte Hornets this week. Luckily, they're armed with some new help in AJ Dybantsa.

Oct 26, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis (23) watches for Charlotte Hornets guard Dennis Schroder (17) with the ball during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just earlier this week, the Washington Wizards had the opportunity to improve to an early 3-1 record, taking full advantage of the soft schedule they had the luxury of opening the season with. But after playing with their food in that final win against the Chicago Bulls, the hodgepodge roster revealed just how far away they are from concocting a reliable regular season product with a 110-103 defeat to the shorthanded Charlotte Hornets.

Fast forward to today, where the Wizards stand at 2-3 following a road trip-concluding defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The good news: AJ Dybantsa, the summer's draft-headlining prospect, has finally joined his fellow Wizards on the court, and the team's already looked more energized since implementing his on-court presence.

AJ Dybantsa’s NBA journey is officially underway!

In his @WashWizards debut:

🧙‍♂️ 19 PTS
🧙‍♂️ 8-12 FGM pic.twitter.com/5lSPqFutTy

— NBA (@NBA) October 29, 2026

The Wizards could use a fresh injection of something different, too; with the chance to rise back to .500 within their grasp, they have plenty of recently-exposed armor chinks that Dybantsa can help fill in. Here are some of the more notable narratives we're keeping our eyes on with the Wizards returning home:

Can AJ Help on the Boards?

Dybantsa gave everything fans could have hoped out of his professional debut, shooting an efficient 8-12 from the field en route to 19 points, including several crafty displays of footwork, timely passes and one crisp 3-point swish.

But as his otherwise-thrilled father was quick to point out to league insider Chris Haynes, "he only got 2 boards." It's an area in which the Wizards have loudly struggled in their losses, as none of Dybantsa's teammates exceeded five rebounds in that Cleveland defeat, and the concern won't go anywhere since the squad lost Justin Champagnie to a foot fracture during their Charlotte visit.

Wizards wing Justin Champagnie underwent surgery today to repair a fracture in his right foot, @TheAthleticNBA has learned. The Wizards are hoping that Champagnie will be able to return by the All-Star break. Champagnie suffered the injury during Monday's game in Charlotte.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) October 28, 2026

That'll put more of a spotlight on head coach Brian Keefe's big man rotation of Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Deandre Ayton, each of whom have left plenty of work to be done on the possession-maximizing and boxout fronts. While Dybantsa lacks their raw height and experience, he's athletic and competitive enough to challenge the more energetic Hornets.

It's not as if they're loaded with seven-footers themselves- 6'10 Moussa Diabete is shorter than all three of the Wizards' bigs, and he had no issue compiling 11 offensive rebounds to the Wizards' team-wide total of 10. This can be chalked up to effort and a prepared approach, given that Washington's bolstered frontcourt rotation has no excuse to let up a similar deficit as the inter-divisional duel shifts back home.

Adding Wing Defense to Shut Down Brandon Miller

The Hornets' new go-to scorer with LaMelo Ball off to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Kon Knueppel on the shelf looked fully-deserving of his hefty offseason payday when staring down the Wizards, scoring 39 on 15/28 shooting. Champagnie's early injury depleted Washington's bevy of perimeter stoppers, and Miller carved his replacements up with jumper after tough jumper all night long.

Brandon Miller once again looking VERY comfortable as the #1 scoring option for Charlotte.

39 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK, 15/28 FG, 5/10 3FG, 65 TS% pic.twitter.com/Q8OyEtNO0I

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) October 27, 2026

His energy reserve was something special, as he notched six boards- more than any non-Davis Wizard- and recorded five stocks all while embarrassing the Wizards with that pull-up creativity. This, too, could serve as an avenue for some Dybantsa highlights should he help shut Miller down or come close to keeping up with him as a positionally-similar scorer.

Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly will serve as helpful defenders along the wings so as to spare the rookie from having to do all of the two-way work himself. Coulibaly, in particular, held up over five minutes of one-on-one deterrence, surrendering just one made field goal through three attempts over that span.

Apr 5, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) during the pregame entertainment before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A little bit of support could go a long way in aiding a sixth-consecutive Wizards loss to the Hornets, as well as proof of life of their fringe-playoff hopes. On the heels of back-to-back defeats on enemy turf, showing that they're learning from their mistakes with star-powered help would please the fan base in their first D.C.-hosted game in a week.

Bucking their Ugly Cup History

This Hornets appearance also serves as the Wizards' first NBA Cup match, an outing that'll double as both sides' first seeding game within their shared tournament group.

The Wizards earned the less-than-honorable distinction of being the last team to earn a victory during the seeding period last year, breaking a streak of 10-straight losses on the league's specially-colored courts when they pieced up the Atlanta Hawks last year in a 132-113 blowout.

Nov 25, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) reacts after making a three point field goal against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The question remains; does this Wizards young corps have what it takes to earn a trip to the knockout round? Their 1-11 all-time record never made it that much of a possibility, and they'll be without a few key figures who pushed them over the hump against those Hawks. CJ McCollum- coincidentally enough, now a Hawk himself- dropped 46 points in that game, and he combined with fellow trade return partner Corey Kispert to knock down 14 3-pointers in that game.

The Hornets aren't exactly Cup juggernauts themselves, winning just two games in 12 tries over the tournament's previous three years of existence. And with Knueppel still out while Dybantsa prepares for his D.C. debut, there's reason to believe that the new-look Wizards could start Cup play off right this time around.

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