The Washington Wizards' preseason has many fans feeling extremely excited for the regular season to begin. Going 2-1 with close wins against the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons, respectively, the Wizards have shown an obvious uptick in talent on the court and have played an exciting level of basketball that has made Capital One Arena sound like it was hosting a playoff matchup.
The talent on the court is the starting five of Trae Young, AJ Dybantsa, Kyshawn George, and Anthony Davis/Deandre Ayton/Alex Sarr, as Ayton started the first and third games in place of Sarr and Davis.
Now, everyone knew that All-Stars Young and Davis, former No.2 overall pick Sarr, and the new face of the franchise, No.1 overall pick Dybantsa, would be fixtures in the starting five. The intriguing part, however, came with the inclusion of third-year wing Kyshawn George.
It's not that George isn’t good enough. On the contrary, he turned heads last season with his leap. Averaging 14.8 points per game, he showed off a bit of playmaking as well, finishing second on the team in assists, while shooting efficiently and showcasing his potential as a two-way player, as the 22-year-old was no slouch on the defensive end.
George is a player that head coach Brian Keefe and general manager Will Dawkins rightfully have long-term plans for in remaining a Washington Wizard and thriving as such.
Still, given how deep this team is, this choice will rightfully bring discussion. Mine is that I think this is a great problem to have.
The Wizards have more than five players who could start
While this is a factor that teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, and San Antonio Spurs have benefited from every year, this is a new element for the Wizards.
Beyond the lineup of Young, George, Dybantsa, Davis, and Sarr, Coach Keefe can viably throw out Ayton, fourth-year wing Bilal Coulibaly, second-year sharpshooter Tre Johnson, former NBA champion Khris Middleton, Justin Champagnie, and Will Riley, who has continued to impress.
This does not even include players like Bub Carrington and Tre Mann, who have started many games thus far in their careers, and this leaves the Wizards with many players they can depend on regularly.
When asked after the Wizards' first preseason game if George would be a mainstay in the starting five, Coach Keefe said:
“No, it’s still early in camp. We’re trying different combinations and seeing what works. Those decisions haven’t been made yet.”
And while three games of George being slotted in the starting five could lead you to think this is "coach speak," with how deep the roster is, it is believable that these things are still being decided upon.
Potentially being the fifth starter could make these players better
The Wizards may have lost to the Nets on Monday, but that isn’t the biggest takeaway here if you’re a Wizards fan. Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, and Bilal Coulibaly all looked amazing.
From the much smoother jumper that Coulibaly has, to the sharpshooting from distance that Johnson possesses, to the all-around game that George continues to show, this is an example of all these guys on top of Will Riley, making it a point to get better not only because of that coveted spot in the rotation, but hopefully because each of them sees the potential this team has and can’t wait to play a part in its success.
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