In keeping with my passion for watching all 30 teams, I find there is a lot of value in watching the 1-15 Washington Wizards. Armed with a militia of promising young bucks and veterans who could be useful targets for contending teams at the trade deadline, there are plenty of guys worth keeping an eye on.
Funny enough, the Wizard who has popped the most for me is one of their prospects selected outside the lottery (24th overall pick in a relatively underwhelming 2024 class), Kyshawn George.
During his rookie season, George stood out as someone who could contribute to NBA rotations for a long time. He’s got good size (6 feet 7 inches with a 6-foot-10 wingspan) and is a fluid mover, giving him the potential to be a strong positive defensively. The key for him was becoming a consistent outside shooter and finisher around the rim. If he could become a brown belt in those areas, he’d be a shoo-in as a valuable two-way role player wing for a long time to come.
What I didn’t see happening was George becoming one of the more promising on-ball scorers and creators in the entire league.
Why George Is Worth Monitoring
The departure of guys like Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma and Malcolm Brogdon opened the door for a ton of extra shots and assist opportunities among Washington’s young players. I expected Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly to eat most of these touches. Instead, it has mainly been George.
According to NBA.com, George is spending over two more minutes per game with the ball in his hands and taking 4.3 more field goals. Normally, when a young player is thrust into this kind of position, their efficiency dips — but not George. Compared to last year, his true shooting (60.9 percent) is up 10.7 percent and his assist rate (23.2 percent) is up 9.9 percent.
Remember how I mentioned 3-point shooting and rim finishing as swing skills for George? Those numbers are up 11.8 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively. And it isn’t like George is benefitting from free meals being served right to him. He’s in the 81st percentile in unassisted field goal rate (per Dunks & Threes).
It is never wise to cite small sample data as gospel. Any NBA player can hit a bunch of hero shots at a high clip for 15 games. But the tape tells a different tale. George looks, for lack of a better word, comfortable making plays for himself and his teammates.
In this clip, George sees an empty paint and an inexperienced defender (VJ Edgecombe) in his path. So, he attacks quickly, hits the rookie with his shoulder to create extra separation and drops the ball into the net.
Below, the Wizards’ initial action fizzles out. So, the ball is thrown back to George as a lifeline to try and save the drowning possession. George is well aware of Kelly Oubre Jr.’s overaggressive nature. He drives left but that is only a setup for his next move: a behind-the-back dribble right into Alexander Sarr’s re-screen for a pull-up triple. The extra free throw was just icing on the four-point play cake.
Speaking of pull-up triples, George has more than doubled the amount he’s taking on a per-game basis this year. And while his percentage on those attempts (34.1 percent) may not impress you, it is right there with the likes of Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey and Desmond Bane.
George has also displayed tremendous feel as a playmaker.
When running a pick-and-pop against a drop big man (a normal counter to such coverage), most guys will hit the popper after taking a single dribble. But George sees the benefit in taking a couple extra dribbles deeper into the paint — which makes the closeout even longer for Rudy Gobert — before throwing the right-hand pass to Tristan Vukcevic. And since the Wizards are running this action out of an empty corner, there is no third defender to rotate over and jump the route.
This next one combines the pace, control and vision I’ve been highlighting. The Wizards go with a roll-and-replace concept, George properly diagnoses his best bet is to attack, so he uses a slow step to keep his balance and lure Gobert toward him. Then, he hits a wraparound pass to Marvin Bagley III for two points.
Can George Become A Star?
George’s film isn’t flawless. His midrange is lacking behind his three and rim numbers (30th percentile efficiency) while his turnover rate (sixth percentile) has ballooned since he started driving the car more frequently. Although, that latter mark is to be expected, given his lack of experience as a high-usage player. His defensive impact is also not as apparent as it was last season (his Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus has gone from the 72nd percentile to the 21st). But again, that is what usually happens when a player is asked to do more offensively.
Still, what he’s showing as an on-ball player is tantalizing. It takes him from someone who can be a solid starter to someone who could potentially reach All-Star heights, especially if he gets the chance to play in a healthier ecosystem that enables him to do less on offense and expend a little more energy on defense.
So far, George is averaging 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. According to Stathead, only 42 times has a player averaged at least 16/6/4/1 at 22 or younger (George turns 22 in a few weeks). Of those guys, George currently has the third-highest true shooting percentage, only behind generational prospects, Zion Williamson and Victor Wembanyama. Even more interesting is every player in the top 25 in true shooting on that list has made an All-Star team at least once in their career.
Yes, these are just cherrypicked box scores stats. They don’t tell us everything but they do give us a sense of the tools at George’s disposal. Points per game tells us he can score at a reasonable volume. Rebounds per game highlights his size and athleticism. Assists per game showcases his playmaking chops. And steals per game serves as a reminder defense is still a big part of his arsenal.
Young players always get a ton of buzz. They are new and exciting pieces to think about. However, George’s remarkable start to the season has kind of slipped under the radar, which is funny because he may be tracking to becoming one of the stars of our league.
