WASHINGTON -- As they pass through the NBA for the first time, Wizards rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George are learning quite a bit. That applies to many different things, among them how star players operate on the court.

While the Wizards' young players gain experience in defending opposing players, they also pick up on tricks of the trade they can utilize themselves. It's the learning you only get by seeing what the best players in the world do up close.

"I think it's the best thing to be able to win because you're the defender, you know what you don't like on defense and they're doing that to you. That's how you learn and how you transition it back to the offense," George said.

Each Wizards rookie has their own perspective on learning from opponents and what they have absorbed so far. Sarr, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, is a big man and through just over half of his first NBA season, he has gone up against some of the best frontcourt players in the league.

The list includes Victor Wembanyama, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis and Evan Mobley. Sarr has also faced the two players he studied the most growing up; Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.

"I feel like everybody has the same level of physicality, so just seeing their physicality and trying to improve on it," Sarr said.

Like any young NBA player, Sarr hopes to gain more muscle in the coming years. In the meantime, he can observe how veteran players across the league use strength to their advantage.

George, the 24th pick last June, has a similar take on what he's learned.

"I think in general, if you look at all the stars, they play a lot with their body. The physicality, they bump you off your line and stay with theirs. Just being the aggressor and looking for space and owning that space," George said.

The more experienced George becomes, the more he may realize how to use his own physical advantages. One through-line for all the Wizards' recent draft picks is positional size and George certainly checks off that box.

The 21-year-old is 6-foot-7 (without shoes) and has a 6-foot-10 wingspan. He is the size of a forward, yet according to Basketball Reference's position estimate he has spent 71% of his time on the court this season playing guard.

Carrington, the 14th pick in last year's draft, is also a guard. He's about 6-foot-4 without shoes, according to measurements done at the combine, and has taken notes from opposing players close to his size. Those include two superstars the Wizards saw recently; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards.

Carrington is known as a confident young player, not afraid to take on challenges or even trash-talk star players. But he saw a different kind of assurance from SGA and Edwards.

"One thing I took from them is the confidence that they play with. Everyone is super skilled, but you have the confidence to own the shot when you take it, know that it's going to go in. That's one thing I've picked up from the stars," Carrington said.

Gilgeous-Alexander also left an impression on George, who spent some time guarding him last month when the Wizards hosted the Thunder. SGA has become the type of premier scorer who at times appears unstoppable, even in the face of good defense.

George can now attest from firsthand experience.

"When I guarded him, I forced him into a tough stepback and he just made it. It was good defense and he still made it," George said.

These are the types of things the Wizards' rookies hope to do themselves someday. Now that they have seen it up close, they know what it looks like.

Watch the young Wizards take on the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network and the Monumental+ app.