Washington Wizards rookie Tre Johnson is impressing his teammates on the court, and the sixth pick believes they have enabled him to improve early in training camp.

Johnson spent countless hours in the gym over the summer in preparation for the upcoming season. That time on the court and weight room caught the attention of the team, so much so that the coaching staff has repeatedly asked him to stop working in order to rest.

Now that training camp is in full swing, the 19-year-old has had the chance to practice against several players on the roster, including Bub Carrington. Johnson believes those battles against the second-year guard have helped him grow as a player.

“I feel like I had to push myself to get in shape,” Johnson said. “When Bub is on my team (in scrimmages), I got to make sure I’m first down the court and beat him. But then also, when I’m going against Bub, make sure I’m picking him up because I know he wants to go fast. If I’m picking him up full court, I’ve got to try to match speed with him to slow him down, so I feel like that has been helping me get in shape.”

Johnson was highly touted out of Texas because of his dynamic scoring ability and potential to pull up from all over the court. The team has implored him to stay ready to shoot when he is open, having converted 39.7% of his 3-point attempts as a freshman.

The 6-foot-5 guard is adjusting to the increased spacing in scrimmages early on, something that is vastly different from the college game. He wants to perfect when to shoot the ball, pass it to a teammate and keep it for himself, but the team wants him to keep it simple.

“Let it fly,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “When he is open, shoot it. We want him to be aggressive. That is what he is here to do. He has put a lot of time into his craft, so when you have an open space in the NBA that is a good shot, take it.”

Johnson is among several players the Wizards are building around, including Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Will Riley and Alexandre Sarr, among others. He has ingratiated himself well within the organization and has dazzled thus far.

Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said Johnson is already ahead of the curve in some areas. The team will challenge him on both sides of the ball, but the early returns on his transition to the organization have been encouraging.

“He is going to learn, grow and develop,” Wizards guard CJ McCollum said. “He is really young. His game now will be different two weeks from now, two months from now and two years from now. It is all about communicating and watching. They all work hard. They all want to learn, and they all want to be good.”