Wizards 2020-21 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

For the first time in two years, the Washington Wizards are preparing to have their full roster available when the 2020-21 season begins.  

Bradley Beal became the face of Wizards basketball last year. The 27-year-old signed a two-year extension in October 2019, briefly silencing any trade rumors. He proceeded to finish second in the NBA with a career-high 30.5 points per game. 

The Wizards will now pair him with Russell Westbrook after acquiring the former NBA MVP from the Houston Rockets in exchange for John Wall.

Westbrook is coming off a productive season with the Rockets, averaging 27.2 points per game on a career-high 47.2 percent shooting. 

In addition to the duo of Westbrook and Beal, the Wizards added Israeli star Deni Avdija with the No. 9 pick in the 2020 NBA draft. The 19-year-old only averaged four points per game last season with Maccabi Tel Aviv, but Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked him as the eighth-best prospect in this year's class because of his versatility at 6'8".

Washington has missed out on the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. Its .347 winning percentage in 2019-20 was its worst since 2011-12 (.303). 

Looking ahead to 2020-21 now that the schedule has been released, here's all the information to get you ready for Wizards basketball next year.

2020-21 Wizards Schedule Details

Season Opener: Wednesday, Dec. 23 at Philadelphia 76ers

Championship Odds: 100-1 (via FanDuel)

First-Half Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

Miami Heat (First Game: Saturday, Jan. 9)

If the Wizards really fancy themselves as playoff contenders this season, their litmus test will come against the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.

It doesn't hurt that the Wizards and Heat play in the same division, which gives Washington multiple opportunities throughout the regular season to see where it stacks up. 

Because of the reduced schedule last year, the Wizards and Heat only played two games. Each team won once, but it's hard to glean anything from those games looking ahead to this season. They were played in January before Miami revamped its roster by acquiring Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder. 

Crowder and Hill are no longer with the Heat after leaving during free agency. 

Of course, Washington is also going to look very different than it did last season. Westbrook has historically struggled against the Heat, averaging 19.5 points, eight assists and 7.5 rebounds with a 39.6 shooting percentage in 22 games.

Even when the Wizards were at their best, they struggled against the Heat. Washington won the Southeast Division in 2016-17 with a 49-33 record but lost all four games against its division rival. 

Miami figures to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference next season. The Wizards want to be where the Heat are at, so keep a close eye on how the first meeting between the two teams turns out. 

Toronto Raptors (First Game: Wednesday, Feb. 10)

The last time Washington was in the playoffs, it was sent home in the first round by the Toronto Raptors. That was during the 2017-18 season when the Wizards secured the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. 

The trajectories of the two franchises have since gone in drastically different directions. Toronto has won a championship and solidified itself as one of the premier organizations in the NBA, and head coach Nick Nurse and his staff are among the best in the league at developing talent. 

The Wizards have two players with All-Star potential on their roster, but they haven't been able to figure out how to maximize the rest of the talent around them.

Rui Hachimura showed promise, averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game as a rookie, while Thomas Bryant has developed his shooting touch after making a career-high 40.7 percent of his three-point attempts last season. 

If Westbrook and Beal can play together and at the peak of their skills, with players like Hachimura and Bryant continuing to grow, the Wizards could emerge from the Eastern Conference as a playoff sleeper. 

Season Forecast

So much of the Wizards' preseason forecast is built on unknowns. Westbrook is the biggest factor in that group. His scoring prowess is going to help the team, but how quickly he develops chemistry with Beal will determine their ultimate ceiling. 

Head coach Scott Brooks did build one of the NBA's best scoring offenses in 2019-20 with Beal as the focal point. They finished seventh in points per game and tied for eighth in three-point percentage (36.8).

Having that kind of an offense will at least keep the Wizards in games. They do have to shore things up on the defensive end to become truly dangerous, though. Washington's defense ranked 29th in points allowed per game (119.1) and last in defensive rating (115.5). 

The addition of Westbrook will help the Wizards flirt with .500, though that might not be enough to make the playoffs in a deep Eastern Conference. 

Record Prediction: 36-36

Must be 21+ and present in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Colorado, or Tennessee. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. See sportsbook.fanduel.com for details.