Three Storylines to Watch: Washington Wizards vs. Detroit Pistons

There was a lot to be encouraged with in the unofficial opening night for the Washington Wizards.

After an offseason commitment to turning around defensive efforts, Thursday proved to offer that after holding the New York Knicks to 46 points through the second half in addition to 37% shooting from the field and 30% from three. Add in four steals from AJ Dybantsa and six rebounds from Felix Okpara, the rookies chipped into the production as well.

Yet with the Detroit Pistons arriving at Capital One Arena on Saturday night with tipoff set for 7 PM ET, we take a look at three storylines to watch.

Bounce Back from Bilal Coulibaly

In a season with heightened pressure compared his first three, Coulibaly's smooth shooting stroke drew eyeballs this offseason with all the questions around the French wing centered around a potential jump in year four offensively. Coulibaly credited working with a shooting specialist dating back to last season's All Star break as being able to smoothen out his shooting motion. It didn't materialize into results in preseason game one.

Coulibaly finished 1-of-7 from the field, including 0-of-3 from three, in over 19 minutes. His lone bucket came in transition for a two-handed dunk. Though the sample size is small, Coulibaly can show more of his offensive growth as he takes the floor nine days away from his rookie extension window closing.

Team Three Point Shooting

Washington shot 39.4% from three as a team in Thursday's win, an impressive clip that tells part of the story.

Trae Young made the Wizards' first three roughly three minutes into the game, while the second made bucket in Anthony Davis' early Wizards tenure came on a 25 foot three pointer with roughly three minutes left in the opening quarter. Davis split his last two three point attempts in the second quarter, while Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington and Trae Young all shot 50% from deep in the road win.

Young, Davis, George and Carrington combined to shoot 9-of-17 from three, while the rest of the team combined to shoot 4-of-16 the rest of the way.

That includes Tre Johnson and Tre Mann, who each shot 1-of-3 despite making their own cases as the team's top shooter. While Johnson arrived in the organization known for his outside touch that flashed through the first half of his rookie season, Mann has had arguably the hottest hand of any Wizard during the open portion of practice available to media before the former Thunder guard won the three point competition during open practice. Dybantsa finished 0-for-3 from deep and was seen working on his perimeter shooting during Friday's practice available to media.

Alex Sarr Watch

Head coach Brian Keefe cautioned that Sarr was trending in the right direction before declaring his status for Saturday's preseason home opener, but whether he plays is the next phase in his road to recovery. Sarr will likely replace Deandre Ayton in the starting lineup with a chance to get comfortable with Anthony Davis in the frontcourt, offering a glimpse into the double big identity under head coach Brian Keefe.

Khris Middleton is the other to watch after ramping up his team activities through training camp.