The Wizards are back home with a few fresh wrinkles to sort through, and Friday’s meeting with Charlotte brings a lot more than just another chance to even out the record. It’s their NBA Cup opener, it’s a rematch with the same Hornets team that beat them 110-103 earlier this week, and it’s the first look at what AJ Dybantsa might do now that he’s on the floor.
That debut mattered immediately. In his first game for Washington, Dybantsa put up 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting, flashing touch, poise and a smooth scoring package that gave the Wizards a different kind of spark. His father, speaking to league insider Chris Haynes, quickly singled out one issue, saying, "he only got 2 boards."
That rebounding note lands because Washington’s issues on the glass have already been exposed. In the loss to Cleveland, none of Dybantsa’s teammates finished with more than five rebounds, and the problem only got more urgent after Justin Champagnie went down in Charlotte. The wing later underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot, and The Athletic reported the Wizards are hoping he can return by the All-Star break.
That injury puts even more pressure on Brian Keefe’s frontcourt mix of Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Deandre Ayton. The group has work to do in both boxouts and possession control, and the Hornets already showed how uncomfortable Washington can look when a bigger, more active team starts stacking extra chances. Charlotte’s 6'10 Moussa Diabete grabbed 11 offensive rebounds by himself, outpacing the Wizards’ team total of 10.
There’s also the matter of Brandon Miller, who looked every bit like Charlotte’s new focal point with LaMelo Ball gone to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Kon Knueppel sidelined. He finished with 39 points on 15-for-28 shooting, added six rebounds, five stocks and kept punishing Washington with tough pull-ups all night. With Champagnie out, the Wizards are thinner on the perimeter, and Miller took advantage.
Still, Washington does have some defensive help coming from the wings. Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly should shoulder a good chunk of that work, and Coulibaly in particular held up well in one-on-one defense for more than five minutes, allowing just one made field goal on three attempts in that span.
That combination of Dybantsa’s arrival and the wing support around him could matter if the Wizards want to avoid a sixth straight loss to Charlotte and give their home crowd something sturdier than the last two road defeats. The timing is notable too: this is Washington’s first game in D.C. in a week, and it doubles as the first seeding game for both clubs in the NBA Cup group stage.
The Wizards were the last team to record a win in seeding play last year, snapping a 10-game skid on the league’s special courts with a 132-113 win over Atlanta. That game came with CJ McCollum, now a Hawk, exploding for 46 points and combining with Corey Kispert for 14 made 3-pointers. Even so, Washington’s all-time Cup record sits at 1-11, so the path to the knockout round has never exactly been inviting.
Charlotte, though, isn’t exactly a tournament powerhouse either. The Hornets have won just two of their 12 Cup games over the first three years, and with Knueppel still out, this version of the matchup gives Washington a real chance to start this year’s run on the right foot.
In Other News...
Anthony Davis Is Forcing A Much Bigger Wizards Decision
Anthony Davis has already given the Wizards plenty to think about, and not just because of the way he has fit on the floor. Since arriving from Dallas in a trade that cost Washington multiple draft picks, he has been steady and productive, averaging 22.3 points and 9.2 rebounds in his first six games with the team. For a franchise trying to build something more stable, that kind of early return has a way of changing the conversation fast.
The bigger question now is whether Washington wants to move quickly on a contract extension while Davis is still in the final guaranteed year of his deal, with a player option for the following season. The Wizards are weighing that decision against the reality that his presence has already raised the floor of the roster, and the longer he keeps producing like this, the more pressure there will be to make a long-term commitment. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Dybantsa Just Gave The Wizards A New Early Season Question
The Wizards have opened the year with a split in their first two home games, and even with the usual early-season rough edges there has been a reason for optimism. Rookie AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick in the recent draft, has looked like part of the answer right away, averaging 18 points through two contests while giving Washington a boost in transition and on the glass.
What makes his early impact especially interesting is how it fits into the broader shape of this roster. Brian Keefe has already pointed out the teams low volume of three-point attempts compared with opponents, and Washington has leaned into what it does best by finishing at the rim and getting to the line. Dybantsas presence only sharpens the question of how much more dangerous the Wizards can become if that interior pressure keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face An Early Test As Wizards Hype Starts Building
AJ Dybantsa is set to make his home debut for the Wizards in an NBA Cup Group Play matchup with the Hornets, giving Washington another chance to put its early-season buzz in front of its own crowd. Dybantsa already gave a glimpse of what he can bring when he returned from a left ankle sprain and immediately looked like a player ready to matter in the rotation.
The timing adds a little extra intrigue for a Wizards team trying to build momentum while Charlotte arrives with its own early-season questions. The matchup also has the feel of a game where points may be at a premium, with both teams having leaned toward lower-scoring outings so far and the Cup setting only sharpening the stakes. [Read more 🡒]