Pelicans 128, Wizards 107
Q. First of all, how did you feel coming back from the injury?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: Good. I was excited to play today. I'm happy to be back out there and keep getting better.
Q. What was your reaction to the Trae Young trade?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: To be honest, I didn't really know it was coming. This is my second trade season. It's always, like, at the same time you're excited because you have a new teammate. At the same time, you have teammates that -- I played with Corey last year, CJ at the beginning of the year. You kind of get attached.
But yeah, it's exciting times. Sometimes you're sad to see people go but you're happy to get new teammates. We're going to do the best with it.
Q. In your absence away from the lineup, what were the things you noticed from the team while they were winning games at home that altered your adjustment process back in the lineup?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: I don't know if it altered, but it just made me realize we play really well when we move the ball, when we play as a team, everybody touches it, there's a lot of movement, and we're staying consistent. We're not going to make home run plays. There's not one person that's going to go for 70 in one game and win us the game. It might happen, who knows. But right now it's really about team basketball, and I didn't think we did a good job of that tonight, and we're going to get back to it as soon as possible.
Q. This wasn't the first time you've had to sit out and rehab an injury. Was this process different for you knowing that you have done it before and how you can deal with the mental gymnastics of getting back into the lineup?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: It was different in the sense that I wanted to get back out there really, really fast, so I kind of had to, like, hold back on that and make sure I was really healthy to get back on there because those type of injuries you don't want to mess it for it to come back later. But yeah, I just kept my head straight. I knew my goal was to get back on the court as soon as possible, and that's what happened.
Q. Lately you guys have had an uptick in turnovers, and BK mentioned playing in crowds. Especially with you just coming back, are you able to notice from your time being out of the lineup when you guys are starting to play in crowds a little bit more than, to your point, of the way you had been moving the basketball as of late?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: Yeah, it's part of creating an advantage. Sometimes you've got to put the ball on the floor and get into the paint to create an advantage. We just have to do a better job as a team of recognizing when to do that. Sometimes we can create an advantage without putting the ball on the floor and make the defense move just by passing the ball, and I think that's the next step we have to take as a team is making sure that we recognize those situations when we can drive it in the paint and when it's better to just move the ball.
Q. How do you think Trae Young can help you and the team overall?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: I mean, I don't know exactly his resume, but he's a really good basketball player. He can shoot, he can pass, he can create advantages, like I said. Yeah, just being able to attract defense to him. He's a great passer, and I think he's going to make us better.
Q. CJ and Corey, what made them such great teammates? What will you miss about them the most?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: To be honest, off the court, I haven't seen -- even on the court, I don't know if y'all have seen it, but Corey is a really good guy. You know what you'll get from him every single day. He's a really good person, joyful, happy to come to work, working hard, good intentions. Same from CJ. I think just like anchors in the sense that you know what you're going to get from them every single day, and they're kind of holding that baseline.
Q. What is it like having a player like Trae Young on the bench talking to you, coaching you on the sidelines?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: Yeah, it was the first time. He was super positive. Still getting to know him at him. But yeah, he was really into the game, really interested, very positive, and just am excited to see the bond we're going to make in the season coming.
Q. What was it like to play against Jordan Poole?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: He didn't play much, but for the little he played, it was fun. It was fun. I was able to talk to him at the beginning of the game, after the game a little bit. Yeah, just a guy that I spent a whole season with, kind of like the vet when I got here. So yeah, it was good to see him.
Q. What was the impact he had on you, now that you can look back on that season with a little bit more distance?
KYSHAWN GEORGE: I think he just kept my head straight. I didn't necessarily shoot it well at the beginning of the season, but he was always there to tell me, like, keep going, keep going. We need you to make shots at the end of the season. We need you to make shots in the next couple years, on the road, the important shots. Just making sure that I stick with my habits and I don't lose confidence, and I think that's a big thing for me that he taught me is that 82 games in the NBA season, the first 15 don't define you, the first 30 don't define you. It's really how you finish. When it's time to really play hoop, you've got to show up.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports