Wizards Should Keep Eye on Possible Trae Young Regression

Bleacher Report's crew of evaluators and rankers had no issue lumping Young in with some of this season's worst under-performers, even if the point guard only managed to put together 10 games before departing the Atlanta Hawks.

"For starters, we've moved way beyond the point where Young should be considered an objectively good three-point shooter," Grant Hughes wrote. "He hit just 30.5 percent of his career-low 5.9 deep attempts per game with the Hawks this year, down from 34.0 percent last season and 37.3 percent in 2023-24."

"Still an elite pick-and-roll passer, the 27-year-old is most effective as a ball-dominant, defining force for his team. The problem is that he's no longer such an elite overall offensive player that anyone can justify giving him that large of a role when it means making major compromises on defense," he continued.

How Concerned Should the Wizards Be?

Even if Young hasn't exactly been Mr. Durable over the course of the 2025-26 campaign, it would be fair to consider his recent attendance splits as something of an anomaly compared to the rest of his resume.

Over his last four complete seasons, he's crossed the 73-game threshold thrice, leading the league in total assists in each of those three respective Hawks seasons. And compared to the injury history of fellow All-Star and new teammate Anthony Davis, Young's health concerns read like a joke.

Now, questions pertaining to whether his specific game can hold up at a new home are certainly worthy. Young managed to at least blend in on defense on his best days, but he flat-out held the Hawks back due to his inability to physically match up with assignments and unwillingness to give his off-ball protection everything he had.

He's given off positive energy ever since making the shift to Washington, inspiring believers that a simple change of scenery could be enough to alter his perception on how he can forward a fresh basketball situation. And with head coach Brian Keefe still set to call the shots upon Young's return, there's reason to believe that he may not accept such an effort out of one of his franchise players.

The defensively-needy guard should have enough wing stoppers and rim-protectors to hide Young, and their bevy of shooters may very well provided the floor-spacing he's needed to thrive in the past. This season may be an odd one for the star, but he's likelier to return to his old ways than just about all of the athletically-hampered or older names he's getting lumped in with given this unique point in his career.