The Washington Wizards are 4-1 so far in preseason, dropping only one game to the Charlotte Hornets. They’ll have a chance to get preseason redemption tonight at 7:00pm at home.

Key Match Up:

The Washington Wizards don’t have anybody on the roster that could individually replace Bradley Beal‘s contribution, but they do have a well balanced team. With that said, everybody is going to have to contribute more than normally expected, including Marcin Gortat.

When Nene went down with injury last season, Gortat emerged as a top option for the Washington Wizards offensively. He gained chemistry with John Wall in the pick-and-roll and his back to the basket game improved as the season went along. Washington managed to stay afloat without Nene, and now that Beal is out, expect Gortat’s offensive production to increase.

Gortat will match up against Al Jefferson tonight, who was one of the best big men in the entire NBA this past season. Most NBA pundits criticized the Charlotte Hornets for signing Jefferson to a deal worth over $40 million, but that investment seemed to have payed off for Michael Jordan and Co. last year.

Jefferson averaged nearly 22 points and 11 rebounds per game last season, helping lead the Hornets to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Now that he’s got some help with the additions of Lance Stephenson and Marvin Williams, the Hornets are expected to compete for the Southeast Division crown.

Jefferson has given Gortat fits in the past, so it should be interesting to see how they match up tonight.

Preview:

Glen Rice Jr. hurt his ankle in the preseason game against Maccabi Haifa, leaving the Washington Wizards with not many options at the shooting guard position.

Otto Porter stepped up against Maccabi, scoring 19 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, to go along with 4 assists and 4 steals. There’s been some speculation about whether or not Randy Wittman will opt to play Porter at the shooting guard position in the absence of Beal and Rice, and that’s something to watch for tonight. Garrett Temple should also get extended minutes.

Daniel Orton was recently waived by the Washington Wizards and the next set of cuts could be coming soon. Xavier Silas has gotten the most minutes of all the training camp invitees, and tonight might be the last chance for Rasual Butler and Damion James to prove themselves to Washington’s coaching staff.

The game will tip off at 7:00pm from the Verizon Center. Unlike the last Wizards-Hornets match up, tonight’s game will be televised.