NEW YORK — Wizards basketball is officially back.
The Wizards open preseason play against the defending champion New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. It’s the Knicks’ first home game since they won the 2026 NBA Finals, so expect a raucous environment.
Washington enters with several storylines of its own. Namely, the debut of AJ Dybantsa, the team’s No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Dybantsa said he feels no pressure despite lofty expectations. We’ll see how he performs in the world’s most famous arena.
Overreactions will certainly follow Dybantsa’s showing, but preseason debuts rarely mean much. Anthony Edwards scored just five points on 2-for-9 FG in his first NBA action, while Zaccharie Risacher dropped 18 points on 7-for-9 FG. Edwards is now a top-10 player in the league, while the Hawks moved on from their No. 1 pick after just two seasons.
“First preseason game. Go compete,” Keefe said of Dybantsa’s debut. “Enjoy being out there with your teammates. Excited for him, excited for Felix to get a little taste of what this is all about. Just have fun.”
Brian Keefe ruled Alex Sarr (foot) OUT for Thursday’s opener. Sarr has progressed to live drills and five-on-five work as he rehabs from offseason foot surgery, but the team is taking extra caution with their young center. Will Dawkins said Tuesday that Sarr will be ready for the regular-season opener and might play some preseason as well.
“Alex is still ramping up. He's getting close,” Keefe said. “Khris Middleton is the same.”
Asked if Sarr will play in one of the final preseason games, Keefe answered: “Yeah, we're getting close to that for sure.”
Khris Middleton is out as he continues to ramp up. Tristan Vukcevic (hip impingement) and Jamir Watkins (ACL tear) are also out.
Washington’s starters vs. the Knicks:
PG: Trae Young
SG: AJ Dybantsa
SF: Kyshawn George
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Deandre Ayton
Keep in mind, Dawkins said Davis would start at power forward and Sarr at center, so this lineup will look different when Sarr returns.
Keefe has typically played his starters 20-25 minutes during the preseason. For reference, four of Washington’s five starters played 23-plus minutes in last year’s preseason opener.
Game information:
Opponent: New York Knicks
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
Thanks for the instant frontline report,Excited about this starting line up, their back up force and overall strength is sufficient, just see how much energy, execution can be combined to demonstrate in tonights game!
Best Regards
Peter (Hao Zhu)