Three Storylines to Monitor Entering Wizards' Re-Introduction to Kawhi Leonard's Raptors

We're just one game into the Washington Wizards' regular season, and the team's already bucked past years' trends by netting an immediate win. This is borderline-unfamiliar territory to fans who'd grown used to a perennially-losing on-court product, but there's a chance that they'll be reminded just how young and undeveloped the Wizards' individual contributors and overall synergy are in their first brush-up with a potential contender.

The Toronto Raptors profile as just the operation to knock the soaring Wizards back down to earth. While Washington took until the fourth quarter of their home opener to finally shake the Milwaukee Bucks in the 128-116 victory, the Raptors made easy work of the similarly-unimpressive Chicago Bulls in a 135-92 thrashing.

How will the newly-deep Wizards fare against a defensive wings corps with the strength in numbers to pick less-disciplined operations apart? More on Washington's matchup information and other important-to-note narratives below.

The Wizards Trekking On Without AJ Dybantsa

As per Washington head coach Brian Keefe, this most recent NBA Draft's no. 1 pick will continue waiting before making his regular season debut following a rolled ankle suffered last week.

Dybantsa's absence opened up the door up for Bilal Coulibaly to enjoy some meaningful burn with the high-end playmakers, though that leaves the Wizards with one less playable wing in the face of Toronto's vaunted defense. Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles and Allen Graves are happy to make life as difficult as possible for the wing corps of Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Khris Middleton and Justin Champagnie, scorers with a general lack of experience who can't be collectively-saved by Middleton's advanced age.

Coulibaly seems poised to notch another start, though there's no guarantee that he'll see the same minutes he saw in his energetic opener. Washington's smaller, more offensively-tilted guards like Trae Young, Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington may, too, be eaten alive by Jamal Shead and co., setting this game up as one that may rely heavily on the Wizards' own length and interior disruptors.

Anthony Davis' First Consistency Test

The Wizards' biggest recent trade acquisition lived up to his name earlier this week, dropping a loud 34 points on a flurry of nifty paint finishes, emphatic dunks and some crafty outside shot-making.

But the AD doubters rarely nitpick his playstyle. It's his ability to continue getting up after sustaining as many hard falls as he takes, on top of his game-to-game availability, that's scaring Washington's fan base off from handing another hearty extension to the aging champion.

He won't be as likely to enjoy the same supplementary help that rose to the occasion against the Bucks, especially if the Raptors' defense sniffs the opportunity out and picks the prospects off from contributing. How the 33-year-old performs as the lead scorer and rebounder while regularly dishing out assists and making defensive stops yet again against tougher competition will be closely-measured in determining his long-term value.

AD's Veteran Match in Kawhi Leonard

Davis won't be the only proven, Hall of Fame-bound winner who's just coming off of his newest team debut to look forward to in this particular game. Leonard, fresh off of a contentious exit from the Los Angeles Clippers, remains a force to circle atop opposing scouting reports.

He's notched at least 27 points in four of his last five head-to-head outings against Washington, and you'd have to reach back to Dec. 2022 to locate the sole Clippers vs. Wizards performance in which he shot under 40% from the field.

Funny enough, he actually started his Raptors return with a shooting dud, posting a 5/17 clunker against the Bulls. Banking on another poor showing isn't a sustainable strategy against a scorer as tough and creative as he is, and he still found a way to tally five stocks with four steals while struggling on the offensive side of the ball.

He's as qualified as anyone to match AD in the scoring column in the event of a big-time duel, and that's not to mention Young, nor the three other Raptors who crossed the 20+ point threshold in their own season opener. A shooting exhibition between the slew of All-Star candidates is very much within the realm of possibility tonight with both teams angling to remain undefeated.

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