Inside The Wizards

Wizards Rule Out Two Injured Players vs. Nets

The Washington Wizards won't have two of their young players tonight against the Brooklyn Nets.

Jeremy Brener

Oct 11, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) drives to the basket as Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) drives to the basket as Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are ramping up for the season with another preseason contest tonight against the Brooklyn Nets, but two of their young stars won't be seeing the floor.

The team announced that last year's No. 7 overall pick Bilal Coulibaly (left finger sprain) and this year's No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr (right calf soreness) won't play against the Nets.

With Coulibaly and Sarr out for tonight's game, the Wizards are set to go with a starting lineup consisting of rookie point guard Bub Carrington, shooting guard Jordan Poole, small forward Corey Kispert, power forward Kyle Kuzma and Marvin Bagley III at center.

Given that the Wizards are trying to get ready for the regular season, it is a bit of a setback to have their two young top picks out for one of the final opportunities to play before the regular season starts. However, the goal is for the Wizards to be healthy for their Oct. 24 season opener against the defending champion Boston Celtics, so it is likely a sign of precaution to have both of them sit out ahead of tonight's game.

The Wizards will have one final preseason game on Friday when they host the New York Knicks, but chances are that the team will also try to keep Coulibaly and Sarr out in order to not risk any further injury.

This season is important for the development of both Coulibaly and Sarr, as the two young Frenchmen are both important parts of the future of the Wizards. So having them healthy for the regular season is more important than them getting reps in tonight's preseason while both are not 100 percent going into the game.

Tipoff for tonight's game between the Wizards and Nets is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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