The Wizards’ new wave of talent may crowd the scoring picture, but it could also set Kyshawn George up to flourish in a way that doesn’t always show up first on the box score.
George is coming off a second-year breakout that saw him average just under 15 points per game, and plenty of fans are already looking ahead to a possible third-year leap. That optimism is easy to understand.
The wrinkle is what Washington just added around him: All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, plus BYU star AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Add in Alex Sarr, the Wizards’ 2024 No. 2 overall selection, who made a significant scoring jump last season, and the pecking order suddenly looks a lot tighter.
If scoring is the question, there’s a real one to ask here. Trae Young, a four-time All-Star, and Anthony Davis, an NBA 75 big man, are both the kind of players who can comfortably put up 20-25 points per game if healthy.
Dybantsa, who led the NCAA in scoring in his lone college season, has made it clear he isn’t coming in to defer. And with Young now running the show, Sarr’s scoring could climb again too.
That could leave George as the fourth or even fifth option, depending on how quickly Dybantsa adjusts. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it may be exactly the kind of setup that helps him.
If George starts, he should spend a lot of nights going against the weakest perimeter defender on the other side instead of the top stopper he saw so often last season. That shift alone could change the way he operates. He’d have more chances to attack closeouts, create easier looks, and get cleaner buckets than he was able to find in his previous role, even if his scoring average doesn’t move much.
And beyond the immediate fit, there’s a bigger payoff for Washington. As the veterans age out and the young core keeps growing, George could still develop into the kind of star the Wizards need next to Dybantsa, Sarr and the rest. But first, the short-term role may teach him the stuff that lasts: catch-and-shoot consistency, off-ball polish, better secondary playmaking alongside Young, and the kind of defensive flashes that make him a true Swiss Army knife.
That’s the profile Washington wants. And if George embraces this setup, it may end up sharpening him for everything that comes next.
In Other News...
These 5 Wizards Games Could Show If This Team Is Ready
The Wizards upcoming schedule gives them a handful of measuring-stick nights, and the first one on the calendar will say plenty about where they stand. Matchups with the Celtics, Lakers, Jazz and Knicks, along with an Emirates NBA Cup meeting with Boston, offer a clean way to judge whether Washington is simply getting through the season or beginning to look like a team with something more on the line. For a roster trying to push its way into the East picture, these games should also help reveal which players are ready for bigger responsibilities and which ones still need more runway.
What makes this stretch interesting is that it comes with more than just standings implications. Games like these tend to draw extra attention from fans and the leagues media circles, especially when rivals or marquee names are involved, and the Wizards will get a chance to show whether those spotlights bring out their best basketball. There is also a broader question underneath it all: if Washington holds up well in these matchups, it could change the way the season is viewed. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Suddenly Need A New Veteran Backcourt Plan
The Wizards search for backcourt help just got a lot more complicated, with the veteran market taking another turn as they try to sort out the final edges of their roster. Washington had been looking at experienced guards and wings to add leadership and stability, and Russell Westbrook was among the names in that mix as a possible way to bolster depth and bring a steadying presence to the backcourt.
Now the team has to pivot again, because one of the bigger veteran options has moved off the board and ended the conversation before it could really develop. Washington is still weighing alternatives like Anthony Gill, DeMar DeRozan, Aaron Holiday, Gabe Vincent and Brandon Williams, but the bigger question is whether the Wizards can land the kind of proven backcourt insurance they were hoping to find in the first place. [Read more 🡒]