The silver lining to Bradley Beal's injury

1. Putting Bradley Beal's injury into perspective

The backup shooting guard spot was supposed to be the most difficult to predict. There were some options, but it was expected to be a team effort to fill Beal's shoes. Instead, Garrett Temple has flourished as his replacement through five games.

His early-season development should provide a massive boost throughout the season.

(More on Temple from our Michael Sykes).

2. The Temple story

He's been all over Wizards news stories, and it won't stop as long as he continues producing at his current rate. Get to (somehow) know Temple and his journey even better than you already did.

3. Will rebounding woes haunt Wizards all season long?

The Wizards have not won a single rebounding battle in five games to start this season. Yet, they've won four of those games. That won't continue as the season progresses and the Wizards start playing the top teams in the league. But somehow, someway, they need to fix the issue and start grabbing those missed shots at a better rate than they currently do.

(More on rebounding from our Nick Bilka).

4. John Wall and Temple rank high

Who said Wall couldn't shoot? So far, he is second in points scored beyond 10 feet with one or more dribbles taken, behind only Kobe Bryant. And Wall is shooting that type of shot at a better clip than even Stephen Curry.

5. Wizards basketball continues tonight

The Wizards will head to Toronto to face the Raptors tonight in a matchup of two teams currently with 4-1 records. This will be a big early season test for the Wizards, as the Raptors have a strong squad projected to finish high in the Eastern Conference at season's end. Plus, last season offered a triple overtime game between these two, so tonight is certainly expected to be a hard-fought matchup between two of the NBA's most up-and-coming teams as well. The Wizards are looking for their fifth straight win, while the Raptors look for their third straight.

Tip off is at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen live on Comcast SportsNet. You can also listen on 99.1 WNEW.

Bonus: The Wizards' combination of young and old

The core on this team is young. Very young. And that core is surrounded by older veterans who know what it takes to have success in this league. Can the two mix well enough to provide a sustained winning culture? So far, the results have been promising.

Wall certainly still has his hands on the wheel for Washington, but instead of having a bunch of youngsters messing around in the backseat, he’s now navigating his way through the league with a pack of been-there-done-that vets who help augment his skill set in different ways, and whose games he helps unlock, too.