Wizards Maintain Faith in Kyshawn George as Pressure Increases

It wasn't the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks who put the clamps on George, nor was it another promising young defender in the Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg.

The Charlotte Hornets, of all teams, spoiled the Wizards' home opener with the sort of NBA-caliber ball pressure that the forward had yet to have to deal with, blitzing him into a quiet six-point finish that he'd eventually foul out of.

He still got his game off, racking up eight rebounds and notching five assists by continuing to make the correct pick-and-roll and live-ball driving reads in keeping the Wizards' offense chugging during his minutes, but it wasn't pretty. George couldn't seem to get free on any 3-point looks, missing on all four of his semi- to well-contested attempts.

George's Motivation to Learn From the Outing

His coaching staff, who's empowered George to take on the on-ball challenge, sounded encouraged by the lessons that he can take from challenging games like this.

"These are good things for Kyshawn," head coach Brian Keefe said following the loss. "He's learning how to face different coverages, different defenses, he was obviously the focal point of their attack tonight but I thought he handled it well when he was on the court."

He'll have to get used to being the name at the top of opposing teams' scouting reports, as the ascending point forward poses the most frightening scoring and playmaking combination of anyone on Washington's roster.

George's managing to remain involved despite his increased attention from Charlotte's assortment of wings was a positive sign for Wizards fans, and someone who's improved as much as he has through his first year with the organization is bound to take this lesson in stride. He'll still have the keys to the offense, and his team remains behind him along his developmental path.