Wizards Key Sophomores Shine in Debuts

It's no coincidence that he was the only member of his team's starting lineup to be spared from a negative +/- box score finish, winning a neutral in what looked like lopsided basketball for a fill 48 minutes. George's ability to create something out of nothing from the top of the key really emerged with some strong drives, kickstarted by a much-improved handle, the confidence to penetrate and the threat of his quietly-versatile jump shot.

Some of these layups, the sort of finishing attempts that he couldn't get to fall as a rookie, looked like a completely different player than what Wizards fans may have grown accustomed to. His decision-making looked sharp, as did his ball-control, and his 6'9 body did him well on both ends of the court now that he's learned even more about how to use it.

George also finished with a pair of blocks, one of which he won at his controversial former teammate Kyle Kuzma's expense. The whispers that he may really be the team's most enticing prospect seem a lot more founded after the debut that everyone had been hoping for.

How Did George's Fellow Ball-Handler Fit In?

Bub Carrington wasn't handed nearly as much hype as his draft classmate despite a promising season of development as a combo guard. He's been handed the keys to the starting point guard role, should he prove himself worthy of such a distinguished and demanding job, but George's ascent could have taken the wind out of Carrington's own debut performance if he wasn't careful.

His deferential tendencies have resulted in his occasionally shying away from asserting his presence, and though he took six fewer shots than George in the Bucks loss, he proved valuable with a strong outing from 3-point distance. Carrington finished with a trio of threes, hitting on all but one of his deep attempts on his smooth release.

He still didn't put much pressure on defenses willing to open up slashing opportunities, and with his patented one-dribble pull-up suffering from a few misfires, he certainly left some on the table. But with three assists of his own, he proved once again that he can succeed in the same sort of secondary on-ball role he played last season, even if Jordan Poole's just been replaced by George.

A Noteworthy Shift in Approach

Alex Sarr had to have known going in that he couldn't keep stride with Antetokounmpo, the opposing superstar with whom the Washington defense had locked all the way in on. He can get his downhill drives to fall against anyone, with the meek Wizards letting him walk into 37 points on 26 shots.

The young center standing opposite him was destined for failure in a box score comparison. Sarr's 10 points won't blow anyone away on paper, but one number does stand out; he didn't shoot a shot from behind the arc, the first time he's finished with a zero in the attempts column ever in a Wizards jersey.

Sarr usually has a few chances to spot-up when he wants, and the 5.1 threes he hoisted per night across his 67 games as a rookie speak to his lack of fear in testing the waters out deep. But he entered this season with a specific goal to improve his work by the basket, and to his credit, his approach looks to have drastically shifted.

He wasn't letting any guards or wings guard him in the preseason, attempting to take advantage of the mismatch and using his size as a weapon every time he could. That's the Sarr that the fans were hoping to inherit with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 Draft, and he maintained that play style through Game One.

He finished oop-passes against contact, went up strong on his drives and made sure that the times he got creative ended up with his releasing the ball close by the basket, as opposed to the doomed fade-aways he insisted on chucking last season.

It was necessary that he, along with his two other ascending second-year pros, show what they have to offer to this young, competitive roster. They each demonstrated their own values as big-leaguers with enough to make things interesting today, unique players who have a lot to offer in exciting long-suffering fans while providing glimpses at just how highly they can peak.