Wizards rookie spark ignites as they face a strong Nets squad with their own rising talent.
The Washington Wizards are set to host the Brooklyn Nets tonight at Capital One Arena.
After defeating the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday courtesy of a CJ McCollum game winner, Washington has won five of their last nine games.
Like Washington, Brooklyn has hit their stride winning seven of their last 12 games. Brooklyn currently occupies the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 10-21 record.
Corey Kispert (hamstring strain) and Cam Whitmore (deep vein thrombosis) remain OUT for Washington.
It is also Kyshawn George city edition bobblehead night at Capital One Arena, but unfortunately for George, he is set to miss his fourth consecutive game as he's dealing with a hip flexor strain.
The absence of George has allowed more playing time to rookies Tre Johnson III and Will Riley -- two players who have impressed as of late.
Johnson is coming off of a 14 point performance against Milwaukee on Wednesday night, where he shot 4/7 from three. The rookie has now made nine of his last 12 three point attempts, and has recorded ten plus points in seven consecutive games. Johnson's growth in the month of December was evident, and there's only more room to grow.
Rookie forward Will Riley had limited opportunities in October and November, but the month of December saw an increase in playing time for Riley. Riley averaged 17.8 minutes a game in December, where he averaged seven points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 42.7/29.6/86.4 shooting splits. The month of December was encouraging for Riley, and with George sidelined, he will only have more opportunities.
Brooklyn has a core group of rookies as well that have been developing nicely in lottery pick Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf.
Demin has been the standout player of Brooklyn's 2025 rookie class. The 8th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 assists, and 3.4 rebounds on 39.2/36.5/87.5 shooting splits. However, Demin is dealing with a plantar fascia tear in his left foot that sidelined him yesterday against Houston. Demin's status for tonight game is unknown.
Brooklyn is led by veteran sharpshooter Michael Porter Jr, who is having a career year in Brooklyn after being traded from the Denver Nuggets over the summer. Porter Jr. is averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and a career high 3.3 assists.
Washington looks to kick off the new year on a high note. Tip-off at 7:00 PM ET.