Wizards' Young Stars Building Relationship as Dual Closers

The Washington Wizards are still a long ways away from fielding a competitive nightly operation, but no one can take away the fact they have pieces of a potential NBA fixture.

Alex Sarr, the young 7-foot center that they picked second in the 2024 NBA Draft, already looks like a star. He's getting his buckets off against anyone in front of him, and already leads the league in per-game blocks at 2.2. He's far from the only defender in D.C., flanked by long options along the wing in Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly, and they'll all shortly have a star capable of tying the offense together upon Trae Young's much-anticipated Wizards' debut.

Washington Wizards Guard Trae Young and Center Tristan Vukcevic — Jan 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Newly acquired Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (R) celebrates from the bench with Washington Wizards forward Tristan Vukcevic (00) against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

But even looking past the base archetypes and the various in-house prospects who've yet to carve out fully-carved niches, the 2025-26 Wizards continually impress others due to how tall they stand in tight losses. They've accumulated an ever-growing list of end-of-game dogfights due to a specific combination of developing closers, with George and Bub Carrington balancing how to clinch wins while alternating on-ball responsibilities.

They've received occasional chances to take the Wizards home as a tandem in the past, but the since-traded CJ McCollum occupied the clutch minutes that have since been passed down to Carrington. And though they ultimately fell short of ending the losing-streak in sustaining a 110-106 loss to the LA Clippers, the sophomore duo offered the crunch-time intrigue that the rebuild hasn't always afforded its prospects.

Wild sequence. Bub Carrington ties the game with this step back three. 1:50 to play. pic.twitter.com/rp6xtjnelx
— Ben Strober (@strobersports) January 19, 2026

"We read each other," Carrington said in explaining how he and George have balanced such crucial responsibilities. "It can be based on matchups. Say one night, I got someone that really wants to guard me 94 feet, there's no point in me trying to get in an ego match with him, Kyshawn can be on-ball. It can be a game where Kyshawn likes his matchup, and we obviously like Kyshawn to be aggressive, so we don't need him to pass the ball as much."

Bub Carrington mentioned how close this team is, and has channeled some of his camaraderie with Kyshawn George into a smooth back-and-forth game as fellow ball-handling options. I asked how they’ve built on that in the clutch: pic.twitter.com/jYe595N2Rr
— Henry J. Brown (@henryjbr_sports) January 19, 2026

"When we need him to score, he's gonna score. If you need a pass, I'm gonna pass. It's a read on the court. We communicate well."

Fostering Joint Growth

That relationship didn't blossom out of nowhere. Over the rare instances in which the 2024 NBA Draft classmates got to perform in the clutch, both of the prospects impressed as rookies. George's shot looked as fluid as ever in end-of-game situations, and Carrington memorably ended that campaign on his own terms with a buzzer-beating game-winner to close out the Wizards' regular season.

But even still, the pair of on-ball creators continue spending time together, building on their established connection over the squad's mounting road trips and the learning experiences that have stemmed from the last season and a half.

"We talk a lot about basketball," Carrington said. "We sit next to each other on the plane."

Washington Wizards Guard Bub Carrington — Jan 11, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

That mutual interest in improving as composed scorers at critical in-game junctions will never not be valuable, especially as the Wizards build towards contention.

Young's full-time return to action, alongside whoever the team snags in the upcoming draft, will signal the end of the rebuild and the start of their quest towards sustainably competitive hoops, where the team can use all of the closers they can get. And there, when Carrington and George have accumulated even more experience, will this team start truly impressing league-wide peers on a nightly basis.

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