Inside The Wizards

Wizards Rookie Talks Guarding Celtics Star

The Washington Wizards gave their rookie a tough assignment in his debut.

Jeremy Brener

Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Washington Wizards rookie Kyshawn George was thrown right into the fire in his NBA debut, drawing the assignment of guarding Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

It's not an easy task defending one of the league's top scorers, but George embraced the challenge.

"It was great," George said via Monumental Sports Network insider Bijan Todd. "I expected it, I wanted it, I was looking forward to it. ... I was definitely looking forward to that matchup, just to be able to guard him, do my best, and learn as much as possible."

Tatum scored 25 points in Boston's 122-102 win against Washington, but he shot just 9 of 20, and 3 of 11 from beyond the 3-point line. That was a step down from Tatum's debut earlier in the week against the New York Knicks, where he had 37 points on 14 of 18 shooting along with eight 3-pointers, so the Wizards should be satisfied with their effort.

Having George adopt the mindset of playing the best players in the world is a great sign for the Wizards and his development this season. Playing in such a strong matchup to start the season is not easy, but getting this one matchup out of the way should make George feel confident about games going forward. That's exactly what a player's rookie season should be about.

Rookies often talk about the idea of playing against the best in the world, but it's one thing to talk about it and another to actually do it. George should be given some props for handling the matchup with maturity, and for that, he should continue to earn the Wizards' trust throughout his first season in the league.

George and the Wizards are set to host Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers in their next game tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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