The Washington Wizards rebuild is still ongoing and the team's not expected to be in contention for a playoff spot anytime soon, at least not this season.
However, expectations or not, it won't stop the Wizards' front office from doing whatever it takes to get their squad one step closer to the light at the end of the tunnel.
General manager Will Dawkins has proven that this offseason with an abundance of additions that not only make the Wizards roster better in the long term, but the immediate future.
With acquisitions of talented players like CJ McCollum and Cam Whitmore, there's no reason why the Wizards can't catch the league by surprise this coming season, especially in a wide open Eastern Conference.
On Thursday night, second-year man Kyshawn George proved that and more.
Kyshawn George's emergence is one reason WAS may surprise
The hype train surrounding Kyshawn George entering the season has continued to gain steam following his strong play during Summer League during the start of the offseason.
George's growing confidence and offseason work carried over from Summer League play to the preseason and there's a sense of belief that Washington's young core could have more than one breakout candidate on the roster.
The Miami product put on a show in Thursday's matchup against the Detroit Pistons, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds and two assists, while shooting 8/11 from field goal range.
Offensively, George stood out as one of the most fluid players on the court. Defensively, he looked just as versatile, while playing elite level defense on one the bright young players in the league in Cade Cunningham.
George's emergence is just the punctation point on the reality that doubters around the league will eventually be forced to face; Washington has an abundance of talent on their roster and it wouldn't be a shock to see multiple players breakout this coming season.
Talent wise, the Wizards have one of the best young cores in the league, regardless if they have a definite cornerstone or not up to this point.
The Wizards have the pieces in place and regardless if the team emerges as a sleeper in the East this season, next year or two years from now, it's clear that Washington is a team on the rise.
All that to say, don't be surprised to see the rebuild in the DMV finish sooner rather than later based off how things are trending.