Wizards 2019-20 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

An offseason of change gives way to new hope for the Washington Wizards heading into the 2019-20 season.  

Despite chatter about teams inquiring about Bradley Beal, new Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard has been insistent he won't deal the 26-year-old All-Star.  

Beal is also going to take over the mantle as Washington's franchise player. John Wall will likely miss all of the upcoming season after rupturing his Achilles in February. 

The Wizards are coming off their worst season (32-50) since 2012-13 and missed the playoffs for the first time in three years. Their roster is still in a transition phase, but Beal's presence at least gives them a cornerstone to build around. 

Wizards 2019-20 Season Details

Season Opener: Oct. 23 at Dallas Mavericks

Championship Odds: 1000-1 (via Caesars)

Full Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

Atlanta Hawks (First Home Game: Jan. 10)

The Wizards finished last season ahead of the Atlanta Hawks in the Southeast Division standings, but that doesn't tell the whole story of where both teams stand in the NBA hierarchy. 

Washington is stuck in the unenviable position of wanting to contend with a roster that doesn't have the talent to support being a serious threat in the Eastern Conference. 

Wall's injury and contract have seemingly made him the most untradeable player in the NBA. Beal is the only returning player who ranked among the top five on the Wizards in scoring. Jabari Parker, Kelly Oubre Jr., Bobby Portis and Trevor Ariza are all on different teams. 

The Hawks, on the other hand, appear to be trending in the right direction. Trae Young looked more confident as his rookie season went on. He shot 44.2 percent and averaged 24.7 points and 9.2 assists in 23 games after the All-Star break. 

John Collins had a breakout campaign in 2018-19 with 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in 61 games. Kevin Huerter shot 38.5 percent from three-point range in his debut season. First-round draft pick De'Andre Hunter joins the mix to give them another presence on the wing and a strong defender. 

If the Hawks' trajectory goes as expected, the Wizards could find themselves competing with the Charlotte Hornets in the bottom of the division. 

Memphis Grizzlies: (Home Game: Feb. 9)

While not a rivalry by any stretch of the imagination, the Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies present an intriguing matchup this season because of what happened in the 2019 NBA draft. 

Washington turned a lot of heads by selecting Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura with the No. 9 pick.

The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks graded the pick as a D, tied for the worst of any first-round choice, and gave this assessment:

"He's a 6-foot-8 combo forward who can shoot off the dribble. The question is whether he will be able to do it efficiently in the NBA. He was a below-average 3-point shooter who depended on his ability to dominate because of his size and athleticism in the NCAA. Hachimura is a bit of a project for a lottery pick; he will have to improve as a passer and defensive player to be successful in the NBA."

The Grizzlies also drafted a Gonzaga forward in the first round when they took Brandon Clarke at No. 21 overall. Tjarks gave that pick an A+, calling Clarke "an electric athlete with a high basketball IQ who outplayed Hachimura."

Clarke certainly proved Tjarks' assessment right during the NBA Summer League when he led the Grizzlies to a title and won MVP by averaging 14.7 points on 55 percent shooting and 9.8 rebounds in six games, despite playing just 22 minutes per contest. 

If the Wizards were intent on drafting a big man out of Gonzaga, Clarke appears to have a higher ceiling and more immediate impact potential than Hachimura. Getting a firsthand look at what both players do on the court at the same time will be an indication of how things will play out between the two. 

Prediction

Things are pretty bleak in Washington right now. The roster is essentially Beal and a lot of hoping, especially with players like Hachimura and last year's first-round pick Troy Brown Jr. 

The Wizards' title odds are tied with the Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers for worst in the NBA. The Knicks, Thunder and Cavs are all in obvious rebuilding phases. The Hornets should be, but they just gave Terry Rozier $58 million over three years to be their point guard. 

Unfortunately for the Wizards, their current plan seems to be more in line with what the Hornets are doing. They have a leg up on their Southeast Division rival because Beal is a star player, but the front office hasn't surrounded him with the talent to succeed at a high level in 2019-20. 

Last season's 32-win mark looks optimistic for the Wizards as presently constructed. 

Record: 25-57