Two Ways Wizards Can Best Utilize Kyshawn George

SI reporter Brandon Scott recently caught up with Kyshawn George at the Wizards practice facility. George was asked whether he wanted to be more of a playmaker, considering he has retained his guard skills after hitting a growth spurt. He responded that he has been a point guard his whole life, and that's all he knows.

At 6'8 and with his shooting skills and defense, it's easy to plug and play Kyshawn at one of the forward spots, but what if he could be more of a point forward?

Point forward?

George reminds me of Deni Avdija with his ability to defend, shoot behind the arc, and put the ball on the floor, and create for others. It took Avdija a while to figure it out, and he's still not a finished product, but he's playing at a high level in Portland. The first attribute that shined for him was defense. I look at George the same way.

He can shoot from mid-range and three, but he hasn't found his consistency. He has become a very good defender out of the gate, and when you add his point guard skills, he has shown a lot of potential in a small amount of time. He's far from being the finished product that the Wizards envisioned when they drafted him with the 24th overall pick.

The best way to utilize him is to use him as a secondary ball-handler. The question is, will the opposing defense respect him enough from three for him to become more of an interior threat?

Become a consistent threat from three

For him to evolve, he needs to be more of a consistent threat. Kyshawn George is a sniper, but he is currently shooting 31% from three. He needs to become more of a threat on a more consistent basis. Roster construction does play a part, but now that the trade deadline has come and gone and Kyle Kuzma is a Buck, he'll have the opportunity to right the ship in the 2nd half of the season.

One way he can find better looks from three would be for him to move without the ball more. The skill of moving without the ball instead of just standing at the three-point line and watching is becoming scarce in the NBA. If Kyshawn can move and find better spots for better opportunities, his three-point percentage will rise, and defenses will respect him more. Once that happens, it opens up playmaking chances.

Right now is the time for him to capitalize on the opportunity provided to him, but he'll be ok. His work ethic was another reason why he was chosen with the 24th pick, and it was a pick well used.

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