Another Shen Jing, the Wizard George may be able to make a comeback, and Whitmore s wishful thinking may come to nothing.

For players who enter the NBA through the draft, they either have great potential themselves, or they have already achieved success in the professional league. During their growth, they are all the best in their league. Of course, after entering the NBA, these players are also eager to become the core of a team. After all, this will not only bring them fame and fortune, but also maximize their career.

However, in the NBA, high picks do not necessarily mean high ability. Just like the Rockets' rebuilding process, the team has had many top five picks in the first round since 2021. However, among the Rockets' young stars, Shen Jing is the absolute core. Jaylen Green, Smith Jr., Amen and Shepard have not won this competition.

What’s interesting is that a comeback like Shen Jing’s against the wind may happen again in the Wizards. Since the Wizards traded Bradley Beal, the team has officially announced its reconstruction. In the past few years, there have been many first-round rookies in the team, but there has been no player who can make people see the potential to grow into the core. However, in the new season, striker Keshawn George has come into people’s sight.

Starting in 2023, the Wizards acquired young player Coulibaly with the seventh pick in the first round. After two seasons of experience, Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points, 5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.32 steals per game last season. However, judging from his playing style, he is more inclined to a team-style player like Mikal Bridges. He has top potential on the defensive end, but his offensive skills still need to be polished. At the same time, Coulibaly's three-point shooting problem from the outside is also a flaw. If there is no way to solve the shooting problem, it will be difficult for him to assume the core responsibilities of the team.

Last year, the Wizards had many draft picks. The team selected Sarr, an insider, with the second overall pick in the first round. Like Koulibaly, Sarr has only allowed people to see his potential, but no one knows when it will be realized. We know that on the offensive end, Sarr still mainly scores points with secondary rebounds and air cuts. Last season, he averaged 13 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. However, as a 2.13-meter big man, his shooting percentage was only 39%. It is difficult to associate this efficiency with the word core.

With the 14th pick in the first round, the team selected Carrington, an all-around backcourt. When all the rookies in the same class performed poorly, Carrington's average of nearly 10+5+5 per game looked good, but compared with this year's powerful rising stars such as VJ Edgecomb and Trey Johnson, it pales in comparison.

There is also Trey Johnson, who was selected with the 6th overall pick in the first round this year. In the first two games, he has shown certain offensive talents. In addition to having a stable three-pointer, he is also very good at hitting the basket. Currently, he averages 16.5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in the two games, ranking second in the latest strength list. Although Trey Johnson is very likely to become the core of the team in the future in terms of draft position and potential, at this stage, there is another player in the team who performs much better than him.

That is George, the player selected with the 24th overall pick in the first round of 2024. In his rookie season, George averaged only 8.7 points per game and shot only 37% from the field. However, he has become a stable player this year. After being confirmed as the starter, George's efficiency and statistics are eye-catching. After the two games, he averaged 27.5 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 60% from the field and 67% from the three-point range.

As a 2.03-meter striker, George's playing style is very similar to that of "Old Huang Zhong" Cameron Johnson. They both have accurate shooting skills from the outside. However, George's potential is obviously much higher than the latter's. First of all, he has the passing support ability that the latter does not have. At certain times, George may even appear on the court as the team's point guard. At the same time, George was only 20 years old when he entered the league and still had great potential to be tapped.

If George can continue in such a state, then the Wizards are likely to establish a style of play with him as the core this season. However, this will be a pain for Whitmore, who defected from the Rockets. He originally thought he would get more opportunities in the Wizards, but he did not expect that the competition here will be greater. George, Koulibaly, Branham, and Gisbert will all compete with him for the rotation position. Perhaps he wanted to get a starting White Devil. Being able to enter a stable rotation lineup at this stage is already very good for him!