Trae Young wants everyone to know he’s not done yet.
The Washington Wizards guard, who has played exactly five games for the team since arriving in a January trade from Atlanta, posted on X that fans are about to see the best version of him. “You’re about to get the best version of me 🙏🏽,” he wrote. And for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in seven of the last eight years, that’s exactly the kind of swagger they need.
Young hasn’t exactly had a smooth run in Washington. He came over from the Hawks in a midseason deal, then watched the Wizards flip for Anthony Davis a few days later. The idea was a big three around rookie AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick who has generated more hype than any draft prospect in years. But injuries wrecked the plan. Young played five games. Davis never suited up at all. And the Wizards finished with a record that had fans checking their lottery odds by February.
But now it’s a new season. Young is healthy. Davis is reportedly healthy. And Dybantsa is ready to prove he was worth the top pick.
Young led the league in assists in 2024-25 while averaging 24.2 points and 1.2 steals per game. That was before a string of injuries — ankle, hamstring, shoulder — knocked him off course. Some people have already written him off, saying he’s been left behind by the new wave of athletic, two-way guards. But the guy is 27 years old. He’s made four All-Star teams. He’s been the engine of an offense that reached the Eastern Conference finals. The idea that he’s done feels premature.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor noticed Young’s post and threw a question back at him: Should fans expect to see Young playing off the ball more? With so many ball handlers on the roster — Davis, Dybantsa, plus whatever the Wizards do with their cap space — it makes sense. Young has been a strong catch-and-shoot three-point shooter in his career. The Wizards could use that spacing.
The shooting numbers are the real thing to watch. Over his last three full seasons, Young shot just 42.3 percent from the field. He’s never been a high-efficiency scorer by NBA standards. But when he’s hitting threes and setting up teammates, the rest of the floor opens up. If Washington can keep him healthy and get him into a rhythm, this team might actually look like something.
Young and Davis haven’t played a single minute together in a Wizards uniform. That changes this fall. And if Young’s promise is real, Washington might finally give its fans something to care about past November.
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