Washington Wizards Lead the League in Rookie Minutes

Washington is going all in on their new crop of players.

Oct 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Carlton Carrington (8) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

When looking at minutes player per game across the rookie class, the top three players – Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington, and Kyshawn George – are all members of the Washington Wizards, which is an indication of the way the franchise is moving forward. Clearly, the emphasis is on building for the future, as across the three games so far this year, each rookie has started at least one game, with Sarr starting all three.

Sarr leads all rookies in minutes played per game at 24.7. He's putting up 7.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks, but is struggling heavily with efficiency, and is just 8-for-28 so far this year from the field. While he has shown flashes of productivity, he has been unable to connect on his deep shot, going just 3-for-16, or 18.8%. His defense has been better than his offense, as he's done a decent job against some of the opposing bigs he has faced, but the rookie from the NBL still has a long way to go before he's an NBA-level rotational player.

Bub Carrington, in 24.0 minutes per game, is averaging 8.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on 36.8% (7-for-19) from the field and 50% from three (5-for-10). The combo guard out of Pitt has been one of the most impressive players in the 2024 draft class, ranking first in points per game of all rookies so far, all while sporting a positive assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.6. One of the outside favorites for ROTY, Carrington has had a fairly strong start to his first season, and will be relied upon to play minutes at both guard spots for the remainder of 2024-25.

Kyshawn George has struggled the most out of the three, and while he's playing 22.7 minutes per game, his development may take the longest of the Washington rookies. Averaging 3.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, George is shooting just 3-for-16 from the field overall and 1-for-11 from deep. The guard/wing prospect has some strides to make before he can be an effective NBA player.

The Wizards have struggled as a franchise for the better part of the 21st Century, and this season will be no different. The silver lining is that they have one of the youngest starting lineups in the NBA, including second-year player Bilal Coulibaly. It's undeniable that they have a long road ahead, but if they can continue to stack talent, their corps may be able to develop together into a more competitive team in the future.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.