Keyshon George promises ‘the best is yet to come’ amid the Wizards’ 10-33 campaign

WASHINGTON, DC — It’s one thing for Washington Wizards young building blocks to have a good game, and the second is to do so on the same day that Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger announced that the front office will evaluate which players to retain over the next six to 18 months as the team moves forward in its rebuild. That’s what second-year wing Keeshon George and rookie shooting guard Tre Johnson did Thursday night 107-97 loss at home to the Denver Nuggets.

George made a joke after the game when asked to assess where Washington’s rebuild currently stands.

I had a funny exchange after the game with Keyshawn George last night (thread):

Me: How would you rate the Wizards’ rebuilding process right now?

Key: So you’re basically asking if me, Alex and Bub are doing a good job?

Me: That’s part of it, but just in general pic.twitter.com/IjIlgGKMA9

— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) January 23, 2026

“So you’re basically asking, are me, Alex (Sarr) and Bub (Carrington) doing a good job?” asked the 22-year-old. After the reporters and employees laughed, he gave his analysis.

“I think we’re good, I think we’re starting to figure things out. We’ve been in a couple of close games, we’re keeping our heads level with the game going on,” he said. “We’re able to come back after other teams go on runs and respond with a run of our own. I think we’re going in the right direction, and I hope and I think people are seeing progress. The best is yet to come.”

The Wizards had their third straight competitive performance against a playoff-caliber team in a loss on Thursday 121-115 in Denver on Saturday and 110-106 to the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Monday. The Nuggets did not future Hall of Famer Nikola Jokić (knee) in both games, but they are 8-5 without him in their last 13 games and are one game out of second place in the Western Conference on Friday night. Meanwhile, the Clippers are 10th in the West and were without two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard on Monday, but are 14-3 since Dec. 20 and advanced to Game 7 of the conference quarterfinals last year.

That progress is important for a Washington team that has lost four straight games by double digits after trading veterans CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Atlanta Hawks for point guard Tree Young January 7. It also fell 131-110 to the Philadelphia 76ers on the road hours before McCollum, Kispert and fellow veteran Khris Middleton were all out.

The team’s improved performance was partly the result of individual contributions, as George had a game-high 20 points (6-17 FG, 2-6 3-point) with a game-high 12 rebounds and seven assists in 34 minutes Thursday, while Johnson poured in 19 points (7-14 FG, 3-, 3-7) with three blocks and three assists. 34 minutes. George also added a steal.

George continues to establish himself as an assassin for the Rising Stars Challengeas he already has 10 games of 15/5/5 (points/rebounds/assists) this season and has done so in three straight outings. The former Miami Hurricane has also scored 15-plus points in seven of his last eight games, as well as 20 times this season, and has one steal in five straight contests.

Meanwhile, Johnson has made multiple three-pointers in 26 games during the 2025-26 season, third most among NBA rookies. The 19-year-old also has the most 3-pointers (75) through the first 35 career games in franchise history, surpassing Bradley Beal (58).

However, the Wizards’ defense has been effective in the past two games as well. They held the Clippers to 18 percent shooting from beyond the arc (28 attempts) on Monday and the Nuggets to 45 percent shooting from the field on Thursday, helping them stay in the game despite shooting just 38 percent.

Coach Brian Keefe revealed after the game whether the defense where he would like to be overall at the moment.

“Yeah, I can definitely see it growing in the last three games. You know, obviously we made a move here a week and a half ago, and I think it took us a few games to adjust, and that’s normal,” he said. “But I really like how we’re playing defensively. The defense kept us in the game, and that’s what you have to do when things aren’t going your way, and we talked about that in timeouts. The guys guarded and that gives you a chance to win every night. That’s the most important thing for us to go for it.”

Keeshon George, Tre Johnson shine amid Michael Winger’s ultimatum

The winger spoke to the media before the game to give updates on the Wizards, the Washington Mystics and the Capital City Go-Go’s (the Wizards’ G League affiliate). One of his featured quotes about Wizards was his “six to 18 months” comment, via Monumental Sports Network.

“We’re going to a moment, mostly in the next six to 18 months, when we have to make a decision about which of our youngest players can make a material contribution to our eventual fight,” he said.

George and Johnson have shown that they can make those “material contributions,” and so have Sarah. The latter is tied with Indiana Pacers great Jay Huff for the NBA lead with 2.1 blocks per game and is averaging 17.2 points on 50.2 percent shooting (34.4 percent from 3-point range) despite not playing at right guard all season. That will change when Young (knee, quadriceps) returns sometime after the All-Star break.

Carrington and third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly (back) have more to prove. Carrington is shooting 40.3 percent from deep but just 39.8 percent from the field this season, and his 14.7 turnover rate was the 16th-worst in the NBA entering Friday. In addition, Koulibaly is in the midst of his third straight injury-shortened season and is shooting just 39.2 percent from the field (27.3 percent), a stat he has regressed in each year. On the other hand, the 21-year-old is one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball and would have been tied for 16th in the league with 1.4 steals per game entering Friday had he played enough games to qualify for the rankings. He has played only 25 of 43 competitions so far.

Luckily, the “Wiz Kids” have the entire second half of the regular season to show Winger and company why they deserve to be on a winning version of the team next year and beyond.