Wizards Not Surprised By Rookie's Hot Start

The Washington Wizards rookies have impressed coach Brian Keefe.

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

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.

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