Three Storylines to Monitor Entering Wizards' Preseason Pelicans Finale

The Washington Wizards are looking to end their preseason slate on a high note with plenty more questions to keep on answering.

Mar 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards forward Julian Reese (15) battles New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) for a rebound during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Washington Wizards have just one collective task ahead of them before bracing for next week's regular season tip-off. They're set to make the trip down to New Orleans in a visit with the Pelicans, where they'll conclude their preseason schedule in matchup no. 4.

Coming off of their sole loss over three previous games, a 131-122 defeat at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets, the Wizards have plenty to focus on beyond licking their low-leverage wounds. Faced with a dense rotation to continue hammering out and a starting lineup's worth of stars to keep tending to, there'll be no shortage of details to keep eyes out for as the young Wizards react to their western opponents.

Saying Hi to Some Old Friends

A few recently-rostered Wizards now populate the Pelicans' ranks, with Jordan Poole notably angling to return back to New Orleans' circle of trust with some sparkling production down the rotation's line.

Poole cookin pic.twitter.com/VEhnYncazP

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 9, 2026

He's plummeted from the NBA zeitgeist since the Wizards traded him south last summer, going from a go-to scorer in Washington to a chucking journeyman guard struggling with some brutal shooting splits. Add his strange comments regarding the Wizards' poor attendance numbers during the Poole-headlined down years, and you get a D.C. fan base with some mixed emotions regarding their former default-franchise face.

He's joined by Julian Reese in New Orleans, another former Wizard. But his time in Washington never intersected with the Poole era; the Baltimore, MD native only appeared in 13 contests over the squad's most recent springtime sputter, giving him just enough opportunity to pad some gaudy rebounding statistics before he, too, was dumped.

Mar 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen, left, and Washington Wizards forward Julian Reese (15) talk after a game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He finds himself on the outskirts of the Pelicans' long-term plans as he attempts to make the most of another two-way flier. For all we know, Reese may not be seen until one of Wizards' two in-season Pelicans encounters, with the earliest such matchup scheduled for February.

Rotation Watch: Champagnie Rising, Riley Falling

The Wizards' starting rotation is looking increasingly static with each passing game, as are the bench hands who are receiving the lion's share of burn. Deandre Ayton, Tre Johnson and Bilal Coulibaly have surfaced as the likeliest sixth man contenders, with Bub Carrington similarly clocking his own early check-ins as another floor-spacer and passer worth activating.

That nine-man equation still leaves several of last season's regulars without a clear avenue at tasting regular opportunity, with each of Khris Middleton, Justin Champagnie and Will Riley each having to fight for any remaining minutes along the wings.

Jan 11, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) with guard Will Riley (27) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Middleton, for what it's worth, remains unquantifiable given his rest-based inactivity throughout the preseason, leaving his two younger fellow understudies to continue scrapping it out. And while Riley did hold some sort of early advantage when he checked into the Wizards' last few exhibitions first, he's been completely enveloped by Champagnie's instant impact over the course of the last week.

Champagnie, as Wizards head coach Brian Keefe specified during training camp, instantly makes games more complicated for opponents with some of the most tenacious defense and rebounding you'll see out of a modern wing, while Riley requires a bit more time to sharpen his role as a still-developing playmaking prospect. They'll both check in to play the Pelicans, and we'll keep close eyes on the order and duration of their respective appearances.

Front Court Fit Check

Anthony Davis sat out for the Wizards' hosting of the Brooklyn Nets, a precautionary measure to ensure that he doesn't put too many miles on his wheels before he has to. With the upcoming game's other inactives remaining unanswered until the hours leading into tip-off, there's a chance that he could be joined or replaced on New Orleans' sidelines by a few of his fellow veterans.

Mar 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan (6) chats with Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another Davis DNP would leave Ayton and Alex Sarr in his stead, and they have plenty of on-court worries to sort out. He's just recently returned from a lengthy offseason injury, yes, but Sarr's fallen back into some of his inefficient habits to start the preseason, and could greatly benefit from easier-looking set-ups, whether those be more pick-and-roll opportunities with Trae Young, cuts off-ball or anything inverted in double-big sets alongside Ayton and/or AD.

Simply playing Sarr as the sole big, a look that worked during the Wizards' well-spaced spurts against the Nets, would serve as a mere bandage over Washington's schematic demands, as he'll have to learn to live long-term alongside Davis, too. At least both he and Sarr can shoot from time to time; Ayton, happy to set up camp in the paint, can make for a floor-shrinking presence.

Not many teams are going to have one big make a skip pass to the other big for an open corner three like this. The Wizards had a lot of nice sequences of passing between frontcourt players in this one from Anthony Davis, AJ Dybantsa and Alex Sarr. pic.twitter.com/1wCOIB3a76

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 11, 2026

This isn't the sort of challenge that's expected to be solved overnight, especially given how long it's been since Davis has had the luxury of sharing the floor with a true seven-footer capable of absorbing some of his usual rebounding and shot-blocking burden. As helpful as all of those raised arms will be on defense, someone's going to have to take advantage of the space created by their teammates.

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