Kyshawn George enters his second season with growing expectations and as a young player in this league with high potential, that's the exact type of pressure you want.
The former first round pick entered his freshman season overshadowed by the two players picked ahead of him in the Washington Wizards 2024 NBA Draft class.
Hidden behind the likes of Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington, the Miami product wasn't talked about in terms of potential building blocks for Washington; at least not until he began to turn heads during his rookie season.
However, even when he was being overlooked, George didn't let the attention his teammates were getting stop him from putting the work in.
Following his rookie campaign, George quickly went to the lab and made it a point of emphasis to work on his craft.
The progress showed in Summer League, where not only was the playmaker's jumper looking fluent and efficient, but his confidence in his game was increasing by the rep.
Confidence in this league is the one thing that can make or break a player, regardless of situation.
If a player believes he belongs and feels he can contribute at a high level, he's more likely to put a better product on the floor.
On the flip side, players who lack confidence often find themselves second guessing and ultimately making costly mistakes that cause them to lose playing time.
All that to say, confidence is key and fortunately for George, his teammate and fellow draftee Bub Carrington may have just given him the wake up call that can put him in position to take his game to another level.
"In my opinion, he wasn't bad at anything [last year]," Carrington said. "The only thing he was bad at was knowing that you're Kyshawn George. Like, bro, go hoop. I think he's getting better at that, being more confident. It will be a very big season for him."
There's no denying the talent is there, and everyone from the front office, coaching staff and players on the roster have seen it.
George has the potential to be a big time player in Washington and if he's able to play with confidence this coming season and prove that even he knows he's a unique talent, the forward could be in store for a major sophomore leap.
The wake up call George may not have known he needed may be the difference between a minor improvement in year two and a breakout season.