Kyshawn George to Miss Multiple Weeks With Elbow Injury

On March 4, 2026, the Washington Wizards announced that sophomore forward Kyshawn George will miss multiple weeks after he sustained a partial UCL tear in his left elbow. He will be reevaluated in three weeks, but the timeline for his return remains unknown.

George suffered the injury on March 2, 2026 in a game against the Houston Rockets, where he exited the game in the third quarter.

According to Advanced Care Physical Therapy, partial UCL tears take four to eight weeks to recover, or possibly longer. 

Luckily for George, he avoided a complete tear which would have kept him sidelined for nine to twelve weeks, and requires surgery. George's season would've been over, indefinitely. 

With Washington having only 21 games remaining, it wouldn't make sense to rush George back from his injury, given their 16-45 record and chance of re-injury. 

What was an extremely encouraging sophomore season for George could possibly be over, but we cannot ignore his improvement and development. 

If George's season were to be over, he would end the year averaging a career-high in points (14.8), rebounds (5.1), assists (4.5), field goal percentage (43.8%), three point percentage (38.1%), free throw percentage (80.2%) and blocks (0.9). 

Drafted 24th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft out of the University of Miami, George has bursted onto the scene in his second year and has looked like a legitimate franchise cornerstone going forward. 

Although George is unlikely to return this season, the expectation is that he will be ready and fully healthy for 2026. A notable player who suffered the same or similar injuries to George was Paul George in 2021, who elected for rest and rehabilitation rather than getting surgery. George missed around a month of action, but was still a top player in the league when he returned. 

This isn't George's first time dealing with injury this season, as he suffered a left knee contusion in February which sidelined him for two games. Additionally, he dealt with a left hip flexor strain in late December, in which he had to miss five games bleeding into early January. 

George has had a pretty up and down 2026 season due to injuries which affected his play. Luckily for George (and Washington), the bright spots shined hard enough to where the front office and coaching staff has a better idea of the type of player he will be going forward. 

Hopefully George has a smooth recovery and can be back on the floor to finish his strong sophomore campaign.