When the Wizards entered the preseason everyone seemed very happy that the squad was at full strength for once. Unfortunately, Washington already lost one of their key players during the second week of training camp when Antawn Jamison suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him sidelined for the first month of the season. Thus, the Wizards are counting on All-Star Gilbert Arenas to carry the team when the game between Atlanta and Washington gets underway on Friday at 11 p.m. GMT.

Albeit the Wizards will be without Jamison, they will still be able to field a very competitive squad. Most importantly, franchise centerpiece Gilbert Arenas will be back on the floor and is expected to lead the team back to the playoffs. In a lot of ways, Arenas has proven to be the most valuable piece for the franchise from D.C. in the past. Not only did they sorely miss his 20+ points night in and night out, but also his ability to find the open teammate. Given the fact that the Wizards also acquired Mike Miller and Randy Foye they appear to have a decent squad on paper.

The Atlanta Hawks on the other hand are hoping to make some noise in the Eastern Conference after making it to the Conference semi-finals last year. Therefore, GM Rick Sund did very little during the off-season except for drafting Jeff Teague and trading for Jamal Crawford. Where as Crawford has shown what he is capable of in the past, many were surprised by the performance of 19^th overall pick Jeff Teague. During the preseason, the young point guard averaged 12.9 points, 4.3 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 26 minutes per contest.

Taking everything into account, both teams seem to have a similar level of talent and depth. Yet, the Atlanta Hawks are much more used to playing with each other and have shown countless times that they fit well together. That said, the outcome of the match-up between Joe Johnson and Gilbert Arenas could very well determine the outcome of the game. Although Arenas might be the slightly better overall player, it remains to be seen to what extent his long injury break and time off the court will impact his performance.

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