Mar 21, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) handles the ball during the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Wizards Forward Falls Well Short of All-Rookie Distinction

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated May 20, 2025 4:11 PM ET

Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George: the three rookies that the Washington Wizards hand-picked in the 2024 NBA Draft have been inseparable in name and on the court, constantly lumped in with one another as the pieces that the future of the team will be built on.

They've already survived a long season of rebuilding together, each playing in at least 67 games while developing as NBA players who fit out on the court with everyone else. Sarr delivered as the versatile defender the team locked in on at No. 2 in the draft, Carrington showed promise as a patient shot-hunting guard, and George finished the season looking like a veteran 3&D weapon.

While Sarr and Carrington were more or less expected to crack one of the two All-Rookie teams announced by the NBA, George's chances at receiving recognition were much less of a given. He was a later pick in the draft who didn't start hearing buzz about his game until well within the season, and injuries prevented him from padding his stats towards the season's close.

The NBA announced the All-Rookie First and Second Teams on Tuesday, and while Sarr cracked the first team and Carrington barely scraped by to make the second, George was left off entirely.

A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2024-25 Kia NBA All-Rookie Team.

The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/z50948YPcu
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 20, 2025

George didn't just miss the cut: he didn't come particularly close to joining Carrington in his voting range. He ended up tying little-used lottery picks like Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham with just a single vote among 100 media contributors, falling 52 points behind Carrington's 53 for the 10th-highest count.

Washington should be happy with getting multiple Wizards named to All-Rookie teams, the first time they've gotten several representatives in a single season since 1963-64, but this is a bit of a disppointing finish for George.

He shot 36.6% from 3-point range on over five attempts per game in the 23 games following Washington's trade of Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee, emerging in the clutch in the rare opportunities the young Wizards got to win games while stifling opposing wings as a much-needed pick-and-roll defender with size.

That's not to forget Kyshawn George, who picked the perfect time to hit a pair of clutch threes after a quiet game. Arguably the most impressive rookie on the team, and the cleanest fit into the Kuzma-shaped role left by the trade deadline https://t.co/PG5icfmuPk pic.twitter.com/j50DP6cYq7
— henry j. brown (@HenryJNBA) March 14, 2025

He's just as much of a reason to bank on Washington's future as Sarr, Carrington or the team's 2023 first-round pick in Bilal Coulibaly. He plays with the kind of two-way versatility and understanding of his role that seems to be evident in all of the team's young prospects, another high-level role player ready to play winning basketball whenever the team decides it's collected enough pieces to go for it.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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