The Washington Wizards were dominated by a pair of former Wizards on Thursday night as he reflects on facing his former team
Corey Kispert spent plenty of time in Washington, D.C. as a young man.
Over the course of his five-year career, a once young and upcoming player for the franchise saw his outlook completely change just two years in.
At just 23 years old, he had to assume a veteran player's role. Despite his young age and uncertainty of his future, Kispert embraced his new role. His departure from the organization in January loomed large, as his future with the organization looked less likely due to Washington's youth movement.
Kispert and CJ McCollum were traded for Atlanta's Trae Young. The move is a low-cost move for the Wizards, which allows them to add a former All-Star at a major position of need.
48 days later, Kispert netted his career high against his former team. The former Wizard scored 33 points in 28 minutes, shooting 11-19 from the field and knocking down six three-pointers.
His monster performance featured him making the first seven shots he took, including his perfect clip on his first five threes. It looked as if it were a practice at Care First Arena. To Kispert, that's exactly how it felt.
"I spent my whole career competing against these guys in practice, and to do it in a different uniform now felt funny," Kispert told The Athletic's Josh Robbins.
Kispert left the Wizards organization with high regard. General manager Will Dawkins and head coach Brian Keefe often raved about Kispert's growth as a leader. He became a vocal voice in a youthful Wizards locker room despite being so young.
Now, Kispert gets the opportunity to play on a more competitive team for the first time in his career. The Hawks currently are the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference standings, meaning they are a play-in team.
Today felt a little bit more normal, but, yeah, I mean [I have] unbelievable relationships with the guys on the other side: guys on that other bench, coaches, staff members," Kispert said.
Kispert said he wishes nothing but the best for the Wizards' organization and called himself a "huge fan" of the young players building the team's foundation. While he attempted to develop from his own realm, he played an instrumental role in helping the players even younger than him grow.
"Getting to be a small part of their growth and development was a highlight of mine for sure," Kispert added.
Kipsert and McCollum both left ringing endorsements of Washington's organization when they departed. Kispert witnessed the change firsthand. After the organization moved on from Tommy Sheppard, the changes ran deeper than just basketball decisions.
From upgraded facilities to new initiatives, the Wizards' transformation rubbed off on those who have stopped by.
“Loved my time in DC. Organization was great to my family and I," McCollum said following the trade on January 9th. "Michael Winger and Will [Dawkins] did everything they said they would and kept their word from the very beginning. Love the city, and they’re doing things the right way over there."
For Kispert, his life changed drastically so many times at a young age. Originally hailing from Edmonds, Washington, he became a star player at Gonzaga in Spokane.
After an illustrious college career, he packed up his life and began his career across the entire nation. Despite endless challenges out of his control in D.C., he never complained, and he never wavered.
Both he and the Wizards have moved on, but his contributions to the rebuild won't be forgotten.