The NBA season is finally back! Well, sort of.

The Washington Wizards will begin their preseason tonight against the Chicago Bulls, who they eliminated in the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs. The game will tip off at 8pm EST.

Key Match Up:

Although Derrick Rose made his return to the court this summer during the FIBA World Cup, this is the first time we’ll see him suit up in a Chicago Bulls uniform since he was sidelined for the majority of last season with another major injury. Of course, Rose isn’t expected to play a ton of minutes since preseason games are merely an exhibition, but it will be great to see him return to the United Center tonight.

We haven’t seen John Wall match up against Derrick Rose in a while, so the match up should be the focus of the game. Wall has become a top point guard since Rose last played for the Bulls and both have similar sets of skills. Rose struggled in the FIBA World Cup and he should have played through most of his rust throughout the summer.

Both Wall and Rose are two of the most explosive guards in the NBA and it always makes for a fun match up.

Preview:

Washington did beat Chicago in the first round of the playoffs, but both rosters were revamped this summer. The Bulls improved their front court by replacing Carlos Boozer with Pau Gasol, while the Wizards added future Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce to their team. Both Gasol and Pierce will make their debut with their respective teams tonight.

Washington also added Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair this off-season and it will be interesting to see how Randy Wittman adjusts his rotation. Will Humphries and Blair become the primary backup big men, or will Drew Gooden and Kevin Seraphin get some minutes? We’ll also look out for how Tom Thibodeau adjusts his rotation with the addition of Doug McDermott, who looked fantastic during NBA Summer League.

It’s the first preseason game for both the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls, and I’d expect some sloppy basketball to be played. Regardless, like all of you, I’m glad Washington Wizards basketball is back!