Wizards Not Surprised By Rookie's Hot Start

The Washington Wizards rookies have impressed coach Brian Keefe.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 1, 2024

Oct 18, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (8) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards have the difficult task of rolling out three rookies at once and having them play big minutes to start the season.

All three first-round picks — Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George — started in the team's 133-120 win against the Atlanta Hawks, and each of them impressed coach Brian Keefe.

"I'm not surprised by anything," Keefe said via ClutchPoints reporter Joshua Valdez. "We're still learning and watching them grow, so they've done some really positive stuff. Obviously, there's some stuff they need to work on, but they've been competitive. That's the biggest thing I've liked about them."

The Wizards have no reason to hold any of these rookies back. They are the future of the franchise, but more importantly, they are capable to compete in the here and now, so why not try to give them more experience during the season?

Washington's rookies are getting invaluable opportunities to learn while they play, which isn't something most teams can offer for its first-year players.

Their individual numbers aren't jumping off the page (Carrington has the highest scoring average with 10.5 points per game), but they are contributing both on and off the box score towards winning basketball, which wasn't supposed to be the case just four games into the season.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Wizards rookies will be able to maintain this pace, but if they can continue to grow and prove themselves, Washington will have one of the brightest futures in the NBA, swinging big with one key draft class.

The Wizards are now heading down south to Mexico City for their next game as they take on Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Nov 1, 2024

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.