Wizards' Trae Young Has a Reputation to Heal

The rest of the NBA world certainly felt no sympathy for Young amidst his irregular adjustment process to a new situation, with anonymous players voting him the second-most overrated in the sport in a poll conducted by The Athletic.

Granted, Young didn't win the entire category, falling behind decisive victor Alperen Şengün and tying with the usually-unpopular Rudy Gobert, but getting kicked while he's down after such a tumultuous past few months can't feel great for the 4x All-Star. He has his work cut out for him in returning to the good graces of the masses, and Washington's situation can be just what he needs to bounce back.

Advantages of the Wizards

Despite the minutes restriction that he was placed under during his limited on-court stint as a Wizard, Young was quite productive, a fresh breath of playmaking alongside a young corps that can't come close to matching his halfcourt comfortability.

The gaps between the development projects and a ready-made scorer in Young were felt immediately, and the lead guard quickly understood the importance of getting everyone involved to free himself up. He posted career-highs from the field (59.5%) and from 3-point distance (42.9%) on a much-more restrained shot diet, sacrificing some of his usually-audacious pull-up attempts in favor of more time away from the ball and that familiar eye for ball-moving.

Even if he never returns to the near-30 point per game averages he was collecting with ease a few years ago, he'll still unlock a completely-new level of offense between his handle, passing accuracy and ability to score from distance and right at the rim. Washington needs an on-ball alpha, granting Young with just the runway to return to stardom after a year spent as one of the NBA's forgotten men.

After three years of failing to crack 20 wins, the Wizards are ready to step into a more-competitive phase of their build. Anything above the status quo would heap praise onto Young's praise from outsiders just shocked to see Washington out of the usual lottery race, and anything he can do to continue aiding the ascents of his younger teammates will win him similar approval in-house.

D.C. never would have gotten him at the price they did had his value been high at the year's start, and he's got the house money to rehab his image in record time.