After a nightmare year and a half that sidelined him and silenced his superstar buzz, Trae Young is back — and he’s reportedly got a chip on his shoulder the size of Madison Square Garden. The Washington Wizards point guard, who spent last season battling a right quad contusion and played just 15 total games (only five with his new team), is already looking ahead to what he believes will be a seismic shift in the Eastern Conference power structure.
Young Feels ‘Most Slept On’ in His Career
During a recent sit-down on The Pivot podcast, the 27-year-old didn’t mince words. According to insiders close to the situation, Young is privately seething over how quickly the league has written him off. “This is the most slept on I’ve been in my whole life,” Young said, according to audio clips that have since gone viral. “Imagine the Wizards as the No. 1 team in the East next year. What are people gonna be saying?”
The four-time All-Star has reportedly been using that doubt as fuel. Sources close to the team claim Young has been putting in extra work this offseason, and he’s told teammates he’s determined to replicate what Jalen Brunson has done for the New York Knicks. “He sees what Brunson built in New York and he thinks, ‘Why not me in D.C.?’” one league insider told us.
Injury Woes Behind Him, Prime Ahead?
Young’s numbers last season were a far cry from his career averages of 25.1 points and 9.8 assists per game, but he insists the best is yet to come. “I haven’t played much in a year and a half, but trust me, I’m just entering my prime,” he said on the podcast. Analysts are buzzing about what that could mean for a Wizards team that has been stuck in rebuilding mode for years.
What’s making this story even more explosive is Young’s pointed reference to the Knicks. Insiders say he’s been studying New York’s rise as a blueprint — and some interpret his comments as a direct challenge to Brunson and company. Could the Wizards actually leapfrog the Knicks and become the East’s next Cinderella story? According to reports, Young is betting his entire legacy on it.
One thing is clear: the doubters have his full attention. And if Young delivers on even half of his promise, the NBA might be looking at the comeback story of the decade.
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