Trae Young Excited for Future After Wizards Debut

He did, admittedly, look the part of someone who hadn't seen in-game action since December of last year. Young shot 4/9 in collecting 12 points in the 122-112 loss, requiring until the second half to knock down his first 3-pointer of the evening in balancing a minute restriction with locating his groove with a new home.

Young's Clear Impact

He admitted that he lacked the leg-strength to be the creative sniper he usually is, but his mere presence completely changed the way that the visitors reacted to the Wizards.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy remarked pregame that he's one of the few players worth picking up well beyond the 3-point line, and the point guard revealed just how much he can influence spacing without even making a jump shot. The fear that defenses have of his pulling up from 30 feet out or dishing to a teammate results in his getting guarded tighter than any other Wizard, and he exploited that quirk immediately in strolling into his first basket in D.C.

Even under a strict 17-20 nightly minute limit, more reps will allow him to settle back into his high-usage game, eventually rightfully demanding the attention required to free up all of his dependent teammates.

He may not have enjoyed the flashiest introduction, but the natural upside he provides vastly outweighs any of those nerves he was experiencing heading into his return to the hardwood. And judging by his bench interactions heading into the debut and his optimism following that loss, he's just as excited to help build whatever's up next as the ravenous fan base he's adopting.