Kyshawn George makes Wizards franchise history in Nuggets loss

The Washington Wizards have lost six straight games, but Saturday’s 121-115 road defeat to the Denver Nuggets was the most encouraging of the bunch. Second-year wing Kyshawn George continued his breakout season with a team-high 29 points (10-20 FG, 5-8 3-point), five rebounds, a team-high seven assists, a game-high three blocks, one steal, and just one turnover across 32 minutes.

George is the first player in Wizards history to post that stat line in a game, per Wizards PR. The 22-year-old now has three career games with at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists, last doing so in Washington’s 130-122 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 20 (28 points, seven rebounds, seven assists). He also joined San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama as the only players aged 22 or younger with 25-plus points, five-plus rebounds, three-plus blocks and five-plus three-pointers made in a single game this season.

Killa Kyshawn George 29/5/7/1s/3b on 50% FG vs Denver pic.twitter.com/UggyrJgPzi

— riley ｼ (@rileyr_) January 18, 2026

George continues to contribute in all phases, as he’s averaging 15.4 points on 46.8 percent (40.1 percent 3-point) with 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, one steal, and 0.9 blocks over 31.2 minutes. The former Miami Hurricane also has a 13.7 player efficiency rating, which ranked 122nd in the NBA entering Sunday night’s slate, per Basketball Reference. Player efficiency rating refers to per-minute production, with the league average being 15. There are over 500 players who have appeared in a game this season, putting him in the top fourth, and he’s top-10 among players drafted in 2024.

That’s a promising sign for a non-lottery pick in his second campaign. George is developing into one of the best NBA sophomores despite being the No. 24 overall pick in 2024, making him one of the biggest success stories of the Wizards’ rebuild.

Kyshawn George shows Wizards’ ability to win in margins

The way Washington gradually turned Bradley Beal’s supermax contract into prime Trae Young has been widely covered, but the way it turned veteran center Daniel Gafford into George is less celebrated.

Gafford was drafted No. 38 overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2019, and the Wizards’ previous administration acquired him via trade in March 2021. General manager Will Dawkins and team president Michael Winger then took over in May 2023 with the intention of stripping down the roster and rebuilding with young players they acquired rather than inherited.

Therefore, Gafford wasn’t in their long-term plans. Dawkins and company traded the former Arkansas Razorback to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2024 in exchange for fellow big man Richaun Holmes and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024 first-round pick.

The New York Knicks then drafted George No. 24 overall on draft night, but they dealt him to the Wizards for the No. 26 pick (Dillon Jones) and the No. 51 pick. The Knicks then traded Jones to the Thunder for five future second-rounders.

Now, George will likely appear in the Rising Stars Challenge this season and is a foundational piece for Washington. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Gafford is averaging 7.8 points on 62.9 percent shooting with 6.5 rebounds across 29.8 minutes for the Mavericks this season, while Jones is with the Portland Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate.

Turning an inherited rotational big man into George is partially luck, but it also shows foresight and developmental skills by the Wizards. Not every move or draft pick the team makes will turn out as well as the Swiss-Canadian has, but the key is to take as many shots on young talent as possible. It’s hard to find future superstars outside of the lottery, but finding hoopers in the margins who can be long-term pieces around the star is essential.

Now, Washington has to land that bona fide star. Getting Young was a start, but his future with the organization is unknown. If it lands a superstar prospect in this summer’s lottery, it will be set up to compete for a championship by the end of the decade.

Up next for the Wizards is a home date with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

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