Kyshawn George Q&A: I can't wait to get on the court with Trae Young

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The Washington Wizards were one of the splashier teams of the trade deadline, acquiring Trae Young and then picking up future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis, which apparently even surprised Davis himself. However, what's crucial is that Washington essentially gave up none of their prized young players in any of their deals, so in essence, they are keeping their core while adding two All-Stars to the fold.

Kyshawn George is one of those young core guys on the roster, and there is a legitimate chance he could be one of the better guards in the league in the future. Now in his sophomore season, he has taken a massive step forward, nearly doubling his scoring output from 8.7 to 15.1 points, while averaging over five rebounds and close to five assists per contest. Ahead of the Rising Stars game, George spoke with HoopsHype about finally getting the nod to participate in the event, veterans who have helped him in his young NBA career, preparing to play with Young, and more.

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Bilal Coulibaly was vocal about you getting snubbed from last year’s Rising Stars game, and now you being here in L.A... What does it mean to you to finally be here?​

Kyshawn George: I just trusted my work. I always work for myself first. I don't necessarily work for the recognition from other people, but it always brings happiness, and it's like, okay, he's on the right track if you get in this type of recognition.

You’re averaging just about 15 points, five rebounds, five assists. Very few sophomores impact the game and put up those numbers this early in their careers. What part of your growth are you most proud of?​

KG: Just my aggressivity to the rim and the paint, and just trying to make the right decision, whether it's for myself and my teammates. Just get into the paint and just being aggressive with the ball in my hands.

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Is there a veteran on the team - or maybe even guys that just left, like CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton - that have been most helpful to you in your early career?​

KG: Definitely my first shot, I'd say Jordan Poole on the confidence aspect because I wasn't hitting a lot of shots early in the season. And he was always like, yeah, just keep shooting, keep shooting, keep shooting. Not once he told me, like, 'yo, this is not a shot to take.' And the more you keep that mentality, the more you trust your work, the more the shots are going to go in. So I'd say Jordan Poole. And then lately, I'd say Anthony Gill off the court, but also Khris Middleton, all the little details with the post-ups and stuff like that.

Speaking about your shooting from last season, you broke the rookie record with over 100 threes made. So would you say Jordan Poole was really instrumental in helping you be consistent there?​

KG: He definitely helped me with the mental aspect of it, because not starting the year well, shooting from three as a shooter is tough mentally. And just to have somebody who has told me he went through that in his rookie year, too. And he's encouraging me to keep shooting is something that really helped me.

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Now with Trae Young and Anthony Davis in the fold, what are your initial thoughts on how next season will be?​

KG: It's going to be exciting. A lot of good basketball is going to be played, so I really can't wait for that.

Because next year will be a little more pressure on the team to get wins, do you feel like possessions will matter more next season than the past year or two?​

KG: Probably, but I don't think there's any pressure. It's just basketball at the end of the day. And we're all confident that we're able to do that at a very high level. And with the work that we're putting in every single day as a group, as a team, as players, guys that are here, guys that are back in DC, guys that are at home right now, I'm just super confident in these guys, and I know we're going to come here next year already.

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Have you gotten a chance to talk to Trae Young? What kinds of advice has he given you?​

KG: Trae Young, 100 percent. I mean, he's been in DC for a couple of weeks now, been able to speak to him, watch him more. And, yeah, just in games, he's always on the bench giving tips and stuff.

What’s been the most surprising thing with Trae in terms of you seeing him from afar, not really knowing him personally, and now you’re seeing him from a day-to-day aspect?​

KG: I kind of expected the person that he was, like, you know, seeing him lead Atlanta to what they did and coming into DC, I just can't wait to get on the court with him, to be honest.

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What are you most excited about being here in Los Angeles this weekend?​

KG: Being able to play Friday night. That’s it, man. That’s why I’m here. Basketball first. That’s why I’m here.

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Kyshawn George Q&A: I can't wait to get on the court with Trae Young

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