{"id":927739,"date":"2026-10-14T10:46:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/927739\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T10:46:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:46:20","slug":"kyshawn-george-should-be-a-key-piece-as-wizards-look-to-take-next-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/927739\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyshawn George should be a key piece as Wizards look to take next step"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t put Kyshawn George in a box. <\/p>\n

Yes, George is a multifaceted player who fits the prototype of a modern wing: He\u2019s long and can dribble, pass, shoot and defend.<\/p>\n

Yes, his role has often been to augment other players. But George has higher aspirations and is determined not to be limited by the label of \u201cconnector.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of wings and big guys that impact winning, but I don\u2019t think they have the toolbox that I have,\u201d George recently told The Banner. \u201cI think they\u2019re great players in their role, but they\u2019re not as diversified as me.\u201d<\/p>\n

George is one of the more intriguing players on arguably the NBA\u2019s most intriguing team<\/a>. He is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him average 14.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists. But as the NBA Finals showed, having multiple wings is a prerequisite for deep trips through the playoffs, which are the Wizards\u2019 long-term goal. <\/p>\n

After averaging 16.7 wins over the last three seasons, the Wizards are attempting to make the leap from rebuilding to competitive basketball. Increased expectations come with the full incorporation of All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, who were acquired late last season and dealt with injuries, and the addition of 2026 No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa<\/a>. <\/p>\n

George likely won\u2019t post as high a usage rate \u2014 which measures how much of a team\u2019s offense runs through each player \u2014 as he did last season (24.1%), but the Wizards still need his do-it-all capabilities to play meaningful basketball deep into the season. George has started the first three preseason games, playing off the ball with the starters and leading the second unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the versatile wing that a lot of teams are looking for. He plays both ends of the floor, can play with the ball, off the ball, and he\u2019s got a strong belief and confidence in who he is,\u201d Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said at the team\u2019s media day before the start of the preseason. \u201cAnd I expect him to continue to push his limits, continue to grow and get better, and have a little bit more of an impact on the league this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

George\u2019s second season ended in early March due to a Grade 2 ulnar collateral ligament tear<\/a>. But sitting on the sidelines allowed him to absorb the game from a different perspective. He said he learned more about the pace of the game and how to get the best shots in different situations. <\/p>\n

He also used the time rehabbing to get stronger. George started eating more calories \u2014 devouring protein bars or shakes before workouts and eating meals richer in nutrients \u2014 to help add eight pounds of muscle.<\/p>\n

Dedication to the gym has defined George\u2019s first two years in the NBA. <\/p>\n

After going through many workouts alone, George started reaching out to teammates to accompany him. Tre Johnson and Dillon Jones \u2014 before he was waived last season \u2014 were the first to join him. From there, more started venturing to the gym, and Dawkins christened the group the \u201cSleeping Bag Crew,\u201d a playful nod to how late George and his younger teammates stay at the gym.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s probably the leader of that,\u201d Dawkins said. \u201cHe\u2019s helped create a culture of work here, and to his credit, he\u2019s gotten bigger, stronger, more consistent in his jump shot throughout each summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The preseason opener against the Knicks showcased George\u2019s unique skill set. In the first quarter, he scored on a post-up of Jalen Brunson, drilled a spot-up corner 3 and thrived as a cutter, connecting with Dybantsa for an alley-oop off a pick-and-roll. He also created an open corner 3 for Young. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one of those guys that\u2019s super underrated in the league,\u201d Dybantsa said. \u201cA lot of people overlook him, but I mean they can keep doing that. We like the underdogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

George\u2019s length shows in his impressive block rate (1.5 per 100 possessions last season). Channeling that defensive aggression will be key for George. The Wizards have lofty defensive goals this season \u2014 Davis said they should be one of the top 10 defenses \u2014 and George\u2019s ability to defend multiple positions is a key part of that. But for George\u2019s impact to be felt, he has to be on the court. He was sixth in the league in fouls per game (3.5) last year.<\/p>\n

\"PhoenixPhoenix Suns forwards Royce O\u2019Neale, right, and Oso Ighodaro defend George, left, in January. (Ross D. Franklin\/AP)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not gonna change much because I think aggressive defense is the way to win games,\u201d George said. \u201cI just gotta be smarter; I had a lot of cheap fouls last year that I didn\u2019t necessarily have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

His role hasn\u2019t been solidified. Though George has started in the preseason, Wizards coach Brian Keefe said final lineup decisions haven\u2019t been made. Regardless of where George slots in, he\u2019s an important part of a team trying to take a step toward winning basketball. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re playing for something real,\u201d George said. \u201cGot a whole bunch of talent, and it\u2019s always fun to come in here and be confident in the guy next to us, be confident in what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wizards play their first game of the regular season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 21 at Capital One Arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t put Kyshawn George in a box. Yes, George is a multifaceted player who fits the prototype of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":927740,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,726,590,31647,85],"class_list":["post-927739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-nba","tag-nba-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=927739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/927740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=927739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=927739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=927739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}