WASHINGTON — The NBA returns tonight, just 73 days after last season ended. This offseason was shorter than most people's probationary period at work. The NBA did the best they could with the cards they've been dealt in this pandemic. I commend them for successfully navigating the bubble and, for getting the new season underway so quickly.
If you are a Washington Wizards fan, for the first time in a long time there is cause for optimism. This team will be fun to watch. Former MVP Russell Westbrook will bring his trademark boundless energy and killer instinct to a group of talented young players. We will miss John Wall for everything that he's done on and off the court here, but this change of scenery will benefit him and Westbrook. Sadly for Wall, he now has a front row seat to James Harden's hairy soap opera in Houston. Good luck with that.
As for the Wizards, Bradley Beal will continue to be Bradley Beal, which is always worth the price of admission. Thomas Bryant has continued to improve, Davis Bertans is back to knock down long range jumpers, and our first-round draft pick Deni Avdija is looking like a draft day steal judging from the preseason. Nobody's talking championships just yet, but they look like a playoff team.
For everyone who rooted for this team during the Bullets years or during the post-Gilbert Arenas "Bullet" years, you deserve this. Enjoy having watchable NBA basketball back in the city. With the Washington Football Team this close to backsliding their way into the Playoffs, 2020 is ending a lot better than it began. The Wizards' first game is tomorrow night versus the Philadelphia 76ers.