Wizards’ Kyshawn George makes case for All-Star Weekend debut on NBA TV

The Washington Wizards likely won’t have an All-Star for the fifth straight season given their lack of wins, but the Rising Stars Challenge is a different story. Second-year forward Kyshawn George visited the NBA TV panel on Tuesday and explained why he deserves to be selected for the latter competition this year.

Kyshawn George does it all

The young star makes his case to why he belongs in NBA All-Star Weekend! pic.twitter.com/TdSTW73Dbd

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 14, 2026

“I can guard multiple positions at a high level. I could shoot the ball at a very high level,” the 22-year-old said. “I can rebound the ball at a high level, and I can create good shots for me and my teammates at a very high level.”

George did all of the above in Washington’s 119-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, as he scored a team-high 23 points (9-15 FG, 2-7 3-point) with five rebounds, four assists, and one steal over 32 minutes, all while expending energy guarding superstar forward Kawhi Leonard and providing help defense inside. The two-time NBA Finals MVP notched a game-high 33 points, but shot just 9-of-22 from the field (7-11 3-point).

George now has 13 games with 15 points and five rebounds this season, which is four more than he had as a rookie last year. The former Miami Hurricane also has eight 20-plus-point outings, five more than last season.

Now that veteran guard CJ McCollum is with the Atlanta Hawks due to the Trae Young trade, George is the Wizards’ second-best currently rostered player on their season stat sheet. The 6-foot-8, 200-pounder is behind only second-year center Alex Sarr in average points (14.9), is tied for second with veteran forward Justin Champagnie with 5.5 rebounds, and leads with 4.9 assists. He’s also second to Sarr in field goals made (5.5) and attempted (11.8), and field goal clip among players with at least eight average attempts (46.5 percent). He’s also second to second-year guard Bub Carrington in three-point percentage among players with at least one average attempt (40), second behind third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly in steals (one), and tied with Coulibaly for second in blocks (0.9).

George ranks third among the 2024 draft class in points per game this season while leading with 31.4 minutes. The Swiss native is also fourth in field goal percentage among players with at least 10 average attempts and third in three-point percentage among those averaging five attempts from downtown. On top of that, he’s fifth in average assists, ninth in true shooting (58.2 percent), and tied for fifth in average steals.

In other words, George is worthy of being in the Rising Stars game, which highlights the NBA’s best rookies and sophomores. The Wizards sent Sarr, Coulibaly, and Carrington to the contest last season, but George wasn’t selected after getting off to a slow start in his rookie campaign. However, he along with Sarr, Carrington, and rookie sharpshooter Tre Johnson could form a quartet of “Wiz Kids” to represent Washington at the event.

Kyshawn George touts do-it-all skillset on national TV

George has established himself as a jack-of-all-trades this season, contributing in every facet of the game even on subpar shooting nights. It takes maturity for a young player to stay engaged on both ends when they’re not always scoring, so that mindset and versatility bode well for his future. It’s harder for coaches to sit a player out consistently when they always bring something positive to the table.

2006 No. 8 overall pick Rudy Gay asked George on the NBA TV segment what type of player he envisions himself developing into.

“Man. I used to be a point guard growing up. I was really short, grew up late,” he said. “I used to have the ball in my hands a lot, making reads in the pick-and-roll. Playing against pros in France, you learn the different types of schemes. Being able to create for myself and my teammates at a super high level, whether it’s on-ball coming off a pin down, just being able to create that advantage and use my IQ and size to be able to create a good shot for our team.”

“So scorer, facilitator, everything,” Gay replied.

“Everything,” George repeated.

It’s one thing for an NBA player to express confidence in interviews, and it’s another to back it up with results on the court. George’s NBA TV appearancesequent performance in the Clippers game were snapshots of how far he’s come since shooting just 34.7 percent from the field (27.8 percent 3-point) in November 2024. Back then, he was overlooked nationally as a struggling non-lottery-pick rookie on a losing team, and now he’s impossible to miss for any basketball fans who are paying attention.

Up next for George and the Wizards are road contests against the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets on Friday and Saturday, respectively. After that, they’ll rematch the Clippers at home on Monday.

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