Washington Wizards basketball…is finally back.

The Wizards had a successful preseason and now it’s time to start the real grind. Tonight, Washington will take on the new-look Orlando Magic away from home at 7:00pm ET.

Here’s what they need to do in order to secure their first “w” of the season:

Limit Turnovers

Implementing an entire new offense is going to be tough and it’ll take some time before the Wizards become accustomed to it. With that said, Washington is going to have some bumps and bruises along the way. Teams that play fast-paced basketball typically have more opportunities to turn the ball over.

The Washington Wizards were eighth in turnovers per game last year; they coughed up the ball 15 times on average. That number has to go down, especially if they want to play fast.

John Wall, in particular, has to do a better job of controlling the ball. This style of play really suits his game, but in preseason, he would often times go for the home-run hit. In the regular season, Wall should limit the flashy dimes and go for what works.

The Magic are one of the most athletic teams in the league. Players like Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris and Aaron Gordon are going to capitalize on the turnovers.

If the Washington Wizards find themselves turning the ball over, they’re going to give up easy points in transition. Orlando had the fourth worst offensive rating in the league last season, so giving up easy baskets in transition would negate that.

Rebound The Ball

The Washington Wizards were a top-10 rebounding team this past season, but with improved spacing, they could give up more opportunities in that aspect of the game. They really struggled to secure rebounds at times during preseason. Marcin Gortat and Kris Humphries are both solid rebounders, but opportunities for second chance points won’t be there as often. Humphries is going to be out on the perimeter and offensive rebounding chances will go down.

Nikola Vucevic averaged just under 11 rebounds per game last season. He’s not someone who’s going to overwhelm Gortat with his size, like DeAndre Jordan for instance, but he does an excellent job of establishing position. Vucevic is one of those players that just has a nose for the ball.

Randy Wittman wants his team to remain elite on the defensive end of the floor and securing rebounds is a big part of that. The Magic have a number of guys on their roster that will punish Washington if they get the rebounding edge.

Get Back On Defense

Wittman’s club isn’t the only team that wants to increase their pace this season.

The Magic are coached by Scott Skiles, a defensive-minded coach, but they’re only going to have success if they run. Payton, Oladipo, Evan Fournier and Mario Hezonja all have the capability to excel in transition. Again, it’ll take some time for the Washington Wizards to become acclimated with their new offense, but defense will remain their bread and butter.

They need to get stops and preventing the opposing offense’s transition opportunities is going to be huge. If that means they have to slow their offense down on occasion, that’s fine too. If you’re looking to score in transition, then you have to get stops. It’s really that simple. What’s the point of scoring fast and early if you’re giving up chances on the other end just as quickly?

This is going to be a long and hopefully successful 82-game season. Getting a road-win right out of the gate would be huge for the Washington Wizards going forward.