Wizards finally set a date for Trae Young’s debut

After waiting for nearly two months, Washington Wizards fans will finally get to see Trae Young suit up for his new team.

Young is set to make his Wizards debut on Thursday when the team hosts the Utah Jazz, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. A strained quad has sidelined him since Dec. 27, when he was still a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

The Wizards will presumably be cautious with Young given his lengthy injury layoff. They also have no real incentive to push him as hard as possible, as the team is 16-43 and in contention for a top NBA Draft pick.

Washington’s record makes it something of a surprise that Young is going to play at all this season. The team’s decision to trade for him was done more for next season, and there was widespread speculation after the deal that he would simply spend the rest of the campaign on the sidelines. Perhaps the organization saw some of the NBA’s recent anti-tanking measures and decided to take some steps to ensure they would not be on the receiving end of a fine. It is more likely, however, that the team wants Young to have some experience playing with the team’s young core before next season.

Young was averaging 19.3 points per game with the Hawks before he was shut down with his injury. The Wizards are likely to work him in slowly, and they won’t want him taking too many minutes from their younger players.