Keyshon George makes Wizards franchise history in Nuggets loss

Washington The Wizards have lost six straight gamesbut Saturday’s 121-115 road loss to the Denver Nuggets was the most encouraging of all. Sophomore wing Kishawn George continued his breakout season with 29 points (10-20 FG, 5-8 3-point), five rebounds, a team-high seven assists, three blocks, one steal and just one turnover in 32 minutes.

George is the first player in Wizards history to be post that stat line in the game, according to Wizards PR. The 22-year-old now has three career games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists, most recently in Washington’s 130-122 win over the Memphis Grizzlies December 20 (28 points, seven rebounds, seven assists). He also joins San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama as the only players 22 or younger with 25-plus pointsfive-plus rebounds, three-plus blocks and five-plus 3-pointers made in one game this season.

Killa Kishawn George 29/5/7/1s/3b on 50% FG vs. Denver pic.twitter.com/UggirJgPzi

— I said January 18, 2026

George continues to contribute in all phases as he averages 15.4 points on 46.8 percent shooting (40.1 percent from 3-point range) with 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, one steal and 0.9 blocks in 31.2 minutes. The former Miami Hurricane also has a Player Efficiency Rating 13.7who ranked No. 122 in the NBA on Sunday night, according to Basketball Reference. Player efficiency rating refers to production per minute, with a league average of 15. He has over 500 appearances in a game this season, which ranks him fourth, and he is in the top 10 among players drafted in 2024.

That’s a promising sign for the non-lottery pick in his second campaign. George is developing into one of the NBA’s top second-year rookies despite being the 24th overall pick in 2024, making him one of the Wizards’ biggest rebuilding success stories.

Kishawn George shows the Wizards’ ability to win by margins

The way Washington gradually turned Supermax contract of Bradley Beal with Prime Minister Trae Young has been widely covered, but less celebrated is the way veteran center Daniel Gafford turned into George.

The Chicago Bulls drafted Gafford 38th overall in 2019, and the previous Wizards administration acquired him via trade in March 2021. General manager Will Dawkins and team president Michael Winger then took over in May 2023 with the intention of scrapping the roster and rebuilding with the young players they acquired, not with them.

So Gafford wasn’t in their long-term plans. Dawkins and company sold the former Arkansas Razorback to Dallas Mavericks in February 2024 in exchange for second big man Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The New York Knicks then drafted George no. 24 overall in the draft, but was dealt to the Wizards for the 26th pick (Dillon Jones) and the 51st pick. The Knicks then traded Jones to the Thunder for five future second-rounders.

Now, George will likely appear in the Rising Stars Challenge this season and is a cornerstone of Washington. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Gafford is averaging 7.8 points on 62.9 percent shooting with 6.5 rebounds in 29.8 minutes for the Mavericks this season, while Jones is with the Portland Trail Blazers in the G League.

Turning a legacy rotational big man into George is partly luck, but it also shows the Wizards have the foresight and development skills. Not every move or draft pick a team makes will turn out as well as the Swiss-Canadian, but the key is to attack young talent as much as possible. It’s hard to find future superstars outside of the lottery, but it’s essential to find players on the fringes who can be long-term pieces around a star.

Now, Washington must land that bona fide star. Getting Young was a start, but his future with the organization is unknown. If he lands a superstar prospect in this summer’s lottery, he’ll be set up to compete for a championship by the end of the decade.

Next up for the Wizards is a home date with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.