WASHINGTON WIZARDS MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 1, 2025

Kyshawn George

Magic 125, Wizards 94

Q. Where do you feel like you are at right now in your journey to defend without fouling because your offensive game is going great but when you are defending the fouls are stacking up.

KYSHAWN GEORGE: Just got to be better. That's it. More discipline and just play without fouling.

Q. How hard is it as a young player to really give it your all on the court and not be able to play in the latter stages of games because of the fact that you're in foul trouble?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: It's frustrating, but ultimately it's like, the ref is going to call a foul if he sees a foul. I've just got to learn how to play without fouling, get better at that.

Q. We saw you guarding Wagner. Obviously it's been a trend for you this year, guarding some of the better players in the league. What are you learning as you're going up against those types of players?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: The physicality that he brings, constant pressure that they put on the rim on defense, try to get you on your heels as much as possible, and yeah, just being super aggressive.

Q. Tonight the second quarter things really got away from you guys. What allowed them to capture the momentum and not really give it back?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: Well, I think it's us. Our energy dropped a little bit. I don't know if we started thinking about different stuff rather than our job that we had to do, which is just play defense, grab the rebound, put the ball in the hoop and then play defense again, grab the rebound, just keep playing. We started thinking a little bit, and we just need to lock into the -- not even the details, just the simple stuff, doing our job, playing basketball.

Q. I know you had mentioned last season wanting to be a high-level two-way player. As much as we see the defense continuing to rise, the offense also continues to rise. How much energy does it take to exert with the players you're guarding on the defensive end but then being able to still have an impact on the offensive end? Where are you finding that energy for yourself?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: We have a deep team. Nobody is going to play 45 minutes. Just go out there, give us your all, do as best as you can, and you get to rest on the bench. That's it.

Q. From a defensive mindset, you talk about doing the little things and just being disciplined. How much when it comes to the defense do you look back at the conversations you may have had with Marcus Smart of angling yourself, knowing when to be aggressive with your hands, when not to be aggressive, but also utilizing your size and your strength to your advantage to make it uncomfortable but not put you in that whistle area that the refs might call on you?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: I think I'm still in the course of establishing myself. I just need to pick up from the jump my intensity, and I think the refs are just going to get used to it, and then when it comes to the -- when the players are going up for their shots, just being smart and getting my hands out of there and just doing stuff like that, and just being smart and not picking up stupid fouls.

Q. You talked about the discipline. When you look back on the fouls that you got today, are there any that you look back on and you say that's where the discipline wasn't there?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: My second one on Wagner. Could have got the ball on that one. Didn't need to swipe. I'm okay with my two offensive fouls. My last one I grabbed him. I mean, yeah, one foul actually. The other ones I just fouled to be honest.

Q. BK talked about he felt like you started getting the respect of the referees midway through last year. Do you fee like you got the respect of the referees and got the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the calls?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: I'm averaging, what, 5.5 fouls a game this season? I'm just trying to get a stop, at the end of the day, regardless if I have the benefit of the doubt or not. I just try to play basketball, not focus on that type of things.

I do feel that they kind of expect me to be an aggressive defender, but I just need to get stops without fouling.

Q. When you talk about everyone has to go out there and give their all, do you feel like you guys did that tonight?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: In spurts. Just got to be able to do it the whole time I'm out there.

Q. Where do you think Cam has added to the offense this season so far?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: His physicality, his relentlessness to get to the rim. He's a super aggressive guy. Just got to be able as a team to find him with his cuts. He's a very good cutter. You can throw him lobs and just add another weapon to the tool.

Q. You had a bucket in the first quarter where you caught it in transition and you kind of lowered your shoulder into Wagner, and you really used your physicality, muscled your way into the paint in transition. It's not the first time you've done that this season. Is that move something you worked on in the off-season?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: Yeah, just being physical, using my size, my strength that I've been working on in the off-season, just being able to use my size against a defender and use momentum to get him off me just to get an easy lay-up.

Q. Have you noticed in the weight room, like, I can bench slightly more than I did last year, anything like that?

KYSHAWN GEORGE: I just feel stronger in general. The way I move is different. I feel stronger in my legs. Yeah, it's just going to keep getting better from here.