Trae Young eager to make impact in Wizards’ debut vs. Jazz
Trae Young plans to make his long-awaited debut for the Washington Wizards when they host the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
Young made the announcement in a video posted to his Instagram account on Monday. He has not played for the Wizards since they acquired him in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9.
The four-time NBA All-Star has been limited to just 10 games this season while dealing with knee and quad injuries. He's averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists per game and should offer an instant boost to Washington's offense.
Young will be on a minutes restriction against Utah, with the current plan being for him to play 17 to 20 minutes.
He already has made his presence known to his teammates after getting ejected during the Wizards' 123-118 loss to Houston on Monday. Young left the bench and walked onto the court to protest a no-call after Jamir Watkins got shoved by Houston's Tari Eason.
"Don't expect me to get ejected too many more times D.C.," Young said in a post to his X account. "But I'm definitely bringing that energy and competitiveness when I'm back for my brothers!"
Even while on the sidelines, Young has tried to play an active role in helping his team become better.
Washington ran its losing streak to six games following Tuesday's 126-109 setback to Orlando. But his efforts to coach up teammates from the bench and give them feedback have not gone unnoticed.
"He's talking to everybody in every timeout," Wizards coach Brian Keefe told The Athletic. "He sees so much. He has so much stuff to share. He's completely engaged in the whole game. So, I am not surprised that he stood up (for) his teammates. That's the type of guy he is, and we're lucky to have him."
Amid its own slump, Utah also has shown a competitive fire.
The Jazz have dropped seven straight games after losing 106-102 to Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Still, they have strung together numerous hard-fought contests going down to the wire in that stretch.
A 128-125 setback to the Denver Nuggets on Monday serves as a prime example.
Utah pushed the Nuggets for four quarters and actually took a 122-118 lead with 2:13 left after scoring on nine straight possessions. Keyonte George, who finished with 36 points, keyed the surge with four consecutive baskets and finished it off with a dunk off a steal.
George followed it up by leading Utah with 30 points against the 76ers on Wednesday. He made back-to-back 3-pointers to help the Jazz build a 100-94 lead with 4:51 left before Philadelphia closed the game on a 12-2 run.
Even with the postseason far out of reach, Utah is playing like a team that isn't thinking ahead to offseason vacation plans.
"We can play mind games a little bit," George told the Deseret News on Monday. "Try to trick ourselves into thinking that these last few games we're trying to find our rhythm as a team maybe going into the postseason."