Preseason Game #2 Preview and the "John Wall effect"

Much like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Washington Wizards are a new team with some fresh faces. 

First you have Gilbert Arenas, the recently-troubled veteran member of the team who has represented the franchise in the past.  The Wizards are turning a new page over from the Arenas-era, to effectively hand the team over to John Wall.  Washington was fortunate enough to lock up the #1 draft pick, and thus were handed the keys to the best college player in recent memory.

John Wall has an explosive first-step, and will likely be the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. 

In my opinion, Arenas is still a formidable option at the Point, but he will see a reduced role this year as the team will want to get Wall the experience he needs to lead this team in the future.  Along with Chris Paul, John marks a player who represents the new generation of stud point guards in the Association. 

Don't forget about another off-season acquistion, the underrated Kirk Hinrich.  As a member of the Bulls last year, he saw significant minutes and was simultaneously expected to mentor the young but talented Derrick Rose.  While he knows he will be be expected to mentor Wall in a similar fashion, he still expects to get a fair share of minutes with Washington this season. 

"That comes with the territory of being a veteran in this league," Hinrich said before his first preseason game with the Washington Wizards.  "When you're a veteran on a team that's got a lot of young guys, I feel like it's your responsibility to help bring them up right.  But I'm here to play as well."

Don't count him out either.  Head Coach Flip Saunders has already made it clear that Hinrich will at least begin the season starting at the 2 position, with Wall at the point.  That means Arenas will be coming off the bench, and at least for now, he said he's more than okay with that.

However, with 3 talented players who all originally played point guard, one might anticipate Washington making a move that would send Arenas out of town, effectively removing his long-time stamp on the franchise.  Like the Cavaliers, the Wizards want to get their new players into the mix and create a new feel for the team.

It should be interesting to see the dynamic John Wall in action tonight at Quicken Loans Arena, in a matchup with our Cleveland Cavaliers.  Byron has declared that players who didn't see as much action in Tuesday's game will see more time on the floor tonight.  That should bode well for Christian Eyenga, Jawad Williams, and maybe even Manny Harris. 

The season is quickly approaching, with only 20 more days until the opener against Boston.  Byron needs to see what exactly he has, and what lineups work best.  Wall's explosiveness should be a good test for a Cavaliers defense who has had trouble stopping quick guards such as Rajon Rondo in the past.  Maybe if we're lucky, we'll even get to see him do the John Wall Dance.