Wizards Rookies Must Adjust to Long Season

The Washington Wizards rookies are about to log more playing time than ever before.

Jan 3, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) dribbles against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are close to the halfway mark in the season, and the mileage could soon begin to take its toll on some of the team's rookies.

Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George haven't played in anything close to an 82-game season yet, and their energy could soon begin to wear thin.

All three have dealt with injuries during their rookie year, but Wizards head coach Brian Keefe has a plan in place to ensure longevity for his first-year players.

“We talk to them about that stuff, not about what the totality of the games are. We talk about habits and what you need to do to train to get yourself ready to play. That's a really big thing for our organization, putting the structures in place for these guys to be able to perform, teaching them what that looks like," Keefe said.

The philosophy is sound, because it is not an easy task to go from playing 30 or so games per season to close to 82, but Keefe is happy with where his rookies are at.

"Those guys have been terrific," Keefe said, "which we knew that they would and they're going to continue to push through this as they learn and grow but it's about what you do on a day-to-day basis how you take care of yourself. That's how you make yourself consistent in this league and those guys are doing those things on a high level.”

The conditioning for a long season can be taxing, but the Wizards hope that the foundation they are putting in place will have their rookies be able to have long careers for them in the NBA.

The Wizards are back in action tonight as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET.

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