Trae Young has one of the most intriguing storylines this upcoming season after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards. In what could only be described as a legacy-defining season, the four-time NBA All-Star will look to lead the young Wizards to the franchise’s first playoff appearance in half a decade.
Even with Young’s success so far in his career, he’s once again finding the NBA media looking over him, with people already doubting his ability to lead Washington to success immediately. However, time and time again, Young has used the hate and the throwaways as fuel for his game, eventually leading to his rise as one of the league’s best guards. At such a career-altering point, can Washington’s newest star rise once again?
Can Trae Young Use the Hate as Fuel For His Success?
Young recently guest-starred on Ryan Clark’s “The Pivot Podcast,” where he spoke on his time in Atlanta, his epic villain arc against the New York Knicks, and much more. At one point, Clark asked Young how he felt about the doubt the NBA media has in him to push the Wizards into serious playoff contention, bringing up how the eight-year pro has been consistently slept on throughout his entire career.
Clark: “How much does right now in your career feel like another one of those moments where people are sleeping on you, and you gotta go out and prove it again?”
Young: “This is the most slept on I’ve been in my whole life. Like, even when I was in high school I wasn’t this slept on.”
Young is entering a completely new environment. From a team that, even without him, made the playoffs and was on the verge of taking the New York Knicks in the postseason, to Washington, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since Russell Westbrook was averaging a triple-double for them during the 2020-21 season. He left a near-contending roster to a franchise looking to finally begin competing for at least a play-in spot next season.
Even with the lack of media attention, Young has gone out on a limb for the young core in D.C. He truly believes that he and his current co-star, Anthony Davis, can push this young core into serious contention. However, to do that, he’ll have to use the hate and lack of attention to truly drive the Wizards to the clouds next season.
Young’s Villain Arc
When healthy, Young is one of the best combo guards in the league. However, even with the talent, it hasn’t stopped the league from doubting the 27-year-old. Atlanta was never mentioned in major contending conversations and was looked at as nothing more than a pure Cinderella.
Multiple experts call out his lack of defensive ability and offensive playstyle as reasons Young would never be able to lead a team as a true first option. While the noise has been around him his entire career, the guard has been able to handle it well. He’s a four-time All-Star, a one-time All-NBA selection, and won the assist title in the 2024-25 season.
The hate didn’t stop him from carrying the fifth-seeded Hawks to a conference finals appearance during the 2021 playoffs. He became a league-wide villain during the Hawks’ first-round series against the Knicks. In that series, Knicks fans were brutal, but Young managed the storm and became one of the most hated players to visit Madison Square Garden, with fans still booing him to this day.
He lifted Atlanta as high as he could, but lacked true firepower next to him to take them to the next level. Now, with more doubt than ever, can Young reclaim his old ways and start Washington’s new era off strong?
Can Young Do It?
It’s not a secret: Young’s injury concerns this year could hinder the guard’s ability to provide the lift needed to carry the load in Washington. The 2022 All-NBA selection only played 15 games this season, sustaining multiple injuries throughout his time in Atlanta before heading into Washington and re-aggravating his quadriceps, ending his campaign.
If the All-Star can stay healthy, though, the sky may really be the limit. Young has averaged a double-double three times in his eight seasons in the league. Over the course of his career, several players have seen their best days in the NBA playing alongside Young. He’s an electric offensive weapon and a true three-level scorer who can create for others just as well as he can create for himself. He is one of only a few guards who can do both at the levels he can — arguably the only one who can.
In fact, he makes the guys around him so good that their values exceed their skill set. Several names like Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanović became primary weapons in their time with Young in Atlanta. All three of these players, plus many more, experienced multiple career seasons with the Hawks before suffering major setbacks in consistency or a decrease in overall role.
So, can he do it? Can Young return to the pure offensive weapon he was before his injury problems this season? If he can, he’ll elevate an offense in desperate need of a true first option and primary ballhandler. The surrounding cast of Davis, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and Tre Johnson will all become better versions of themselves, but can the supporting cast help push the Wizards to become a true contender?
Can the Wizards Contend?
In a truly wide-open Eastern Conference, the Wizards have firmly inserted themselves as a possible postseason Cinderella team. Their mix of offensive scoring and defensive capabilities makes them a serious problem for even some of the league’s most dominant stars.
While the Wizards were the worst team in the NBA this season, Young has praised the young core and the organization since being traded to D.C. Young had this to say about Sarr earlier this season:
“He’s (Sarr) very smart, especially on the defensive end. Being smart and athletic, and that type of size is very uncommon in the league…he’s got a lot of talent and potential and I want to be part of the process to kind of bring it out.”
It’s not just Young, however. George and Sarr have both gone on record, seemingly excited to get to work with a player of Young’s stardom. During the All-Star break, George said he “couldn’t wait” to get on the floor with the veteran guard. Sarr, who should be considered the X-Factor for the Wizards’ contention chances, told ESPN:
“I feel like he’s going to make a lot of us look great. … He’s going to make me look good, Bilal, Kyshawn, Tre. And he’s going to make himself look good if we play well around him.”
Putting it bluntly: the young guys are ready to follow Young into the postseason. Both sides seem eager to work together, with the guard praising the young core while the core praises back. But will it work?
While the team may not be ready to jump into serious contention next season, there should be reasonable hope that Young can get them a top spot in the East within the next few years. After all, Sarr and George made massive leaps this season, and several role players like Will Riley, Justin Champagnie, and Bub Carrington have proven to be reliable role players moving forward.
Where would Washington need to finish for the experiment to be an immediate success? Anywhere inside of postseason contention would be great. That could be just the start of Young’s redemption arc, reminding everyone what happens when you choose to hate and ignore true talent.
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