Washington Wizards rookie Kyshawn George added another gem on Saturday to his growing treasure chest of defensive highlights this season.
The Nuggets led the Wizards 95-87 with just over a minute left in the third quarter at Ball Arena. Fellow Wizards rookie Bub Carrington got picked off by Nikola Jokic, who lofted the ball ahead to teammate Zeke Nnaji for a fastbreak opportunity. George was the lone Wizards defender left to beat in transition.
Instead of utilizing the Nuggets' numbers on the break, Nnaji decided to challenge George by himself. Nnaji learned the hard way that he had made the wrong decision.
Kyshawn George blocked Zeke Nnaji at the rim, let him know about it AND gave him the stepover pic.twitter.com/fxBs9KpbKt
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) March 16, 2025
George met Nnaji at the summit and stuffed him well short of the rim. The Nuggets forward even used his off hand to try to ward off George, but it didn't work. A fired-up George screamed in celebration and stepped right over his fallen victim.
Unfortunately for George, there was no block credited on the play because Nnaji was called for an offensive foul. The foul made George's unrecorded block all the more impressive given that not even an off-arm shove was stopping the Wizards rookie from getting the swat.
George did have one official block during the contest. He denied a charging Russell Westbrook at the rim late in the fourth quarter. The defensive play led to a Jordan Poole three, which helped keep the Wizards afloat in the contest.
Kyshawn George, the defender you are
The rookie manages to stand out on defense even against high-level offensive players, and that's because he has elite hands, good timing on his blocks/reaches, great hips, plus great positioning and lateral movement pic.twitter.com/GJYEhfQKg9
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) March 16, 2025
George finished with 19 points and four triples in what turned into a stunning 126-123 comeback win for the Wizards. He also recorded three steals for the third straight game. The Wizards' budding defensive stalwart has averaged 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks in 12 games since the All-Star break.
Jordan Poole made sure that Washington had a happy ending Saturday. Poole splashed in a 35-foot game-winner in the closing seconds to complete a surprising season sweep of Denver.
Related: Wizards Fans Go Nuts Over Jordan Poole's Game-Winner vs. Nuggets
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This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 11:33 AM.