The Washington Wizards returned to action on Friday with their first taste of summer league play against the Phoenix Suns.
Washington ultimately fell short to Phoenix, being steamrolled 103-84 in the loss.
Despite the blowout, there were plenty of positives on display for the Wizards young core.
First and foremost, as expected, all eyes were on the team’s reigning top pick Tre Johnson.
The Texas standout showed plenty of promise throughout game one, finishing his first showing in Wizards gear with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, while shooting 7/13 from field goal range and knocking down three shot beyond the arc.
While both Johnson and Alex Sarr had their moments throughout this battle, arguably the most eye-opening performance from any Wizards youngster came from former first-round pick Kyshawn George.
The Miami product has clearly put in the work since the Wizards season came to an end in April.
Following year one, it was clear down the stretch that George’s versatility would allow for him to be a key role player for Washington moving forward.
Between his size, offensive skillset and ability to switch on defense, the forward has the tools to be a solid rotation player at the next-level.
However, on Friday, he flashed enough to make heads turn and thoughts wonder what his ceiling really could be.
George ended the night with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, while shooting an efficient 10/18 from the floor.
Throughout his rookie campaign, the 21-year-old put together a few strong shooting performances, but he never truly looked comfortable on the floor. Then again, for a rookie, that’s expected.
Nonetheless, George looked beyond comfortable for the Wizards in game one of the summer league as both a primary ball handler on offense and within his offensive game as a scorer and facilitator.
If he can continue to show promise like he did on Friday night, Wizards fans should be excited about the potential of what George could develop into moving forward in Washington during their rebuild..
The talent is clearly there, and with the ability for head coach Brian Keefe to give him minutes to continue his development, the sky really could be the limit.
From seeming destined to be a glue player for the Wizards to truly seeming like there may be more than meets the eye makes George an intriguing player to monitor.
Obviously, expectations should be tempered based on summer league play, but if George can stack similar performances like this, the hype may continue to improve.