3 Things to watch in Wizards preseason battle with Knicks

The Washington Wizards are set to travel to Madison Square Garden for their second preseason game, this time against the New York Knicks.

As Washington continues to build their identity ahead of the regular season, they’ll take on a Knicks team that many consider contenders. As Brian Keefe’s squad looks to see where they stack up with the top competition in the Eastern Conference, Wednesday night’s matchup could be a starting point.

That said, here are three things to keep an eye on in tonight’s battle in New York.

Alex Sarr looked the part in his first preseason game against the Toronto Raptors. The French product finished with 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds on an efficient shooting night. Following his impressive outing on Sunday, it will be interesting to see if the Top 3 pick can build on his solid start.

Against a Knicks frontcourt that many expect to be among the best in the league, it will be a good test to see where Sarr stacks up. If he can put together back-to-back solid performances, not only will his confidence grow, but it will allow the Wizards to put even more faith in their young big man.

Kyle Kuzma is now the longest-tenured Wizards player on the roster. In the team’s first game of the preseason, their versatile forward struggled immensely on the court. Kuzma shot one-for-seven from the field and his struggles offensively seem to impact his all-around play.

Against New York, the 6-foot-10 playmaker hopes to turn it around and prove why the Wizards chose to keep him around rather than ship him off for trade assets in the offseason. Washington will likely rely on their explosive scorer when the regular season comes around. That said, if Kuzma can bounce back, it will be a warm sight for Wizards fans.

Following the injury to Malcolm Brogdon lottery pick Bub Carrington seemed to be the profiter in terms of minutes. The Pittsburgh product seemed to get an extended run in the team’s first game, but he struggled while on the court.

However, despite his shooting woes, Carrington showed flashes of his potential in other areas. With his ability to get to the free throw line and take pressure off Jordan Poole as the team’s primary ball handler at times, if he can take advantage of his increase of minutes, he could find himself as a core piece of the team’s rotation this upcoming season.