When discussing the best teams in the Eastern Conference next season, you might mention the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons. There are also teams like the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, who are expected to be highly competitive.
In the nation’s capital (Washington D.C.), the Wizards‘ place in the NBA hierarchy is still relatively unknown. After finishing 15th in the East (17-65) this past season, expectations are starting low, but star point guard Trae Young says he’s eager to prove everyone wrong.
“This is the most slept on I’ve been in my whole life,” said Young on the Pivot. “Even when I was in High School, I wasn’t this slept on. I felt like I could have been top five in my class, should have been top 10. Number one point guard, I felt like, but I was four. Was I slept on a little bit? Maybe. But this, this is starting to feel a certain way. I learned over the years that there’s a lot of recency bias going on… Imagine the Wizards as the No. 1 team in the East next year. What are people gonna be saying? I haven’t played much in a year and a half, but trust me, I’m just entering my prime. The way people talk about me is just funny.”
Reality has set in hard for Trae, who spent his first eight seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. There, he became a star who took them as far as the Eastern Conference Finals. But after several failed campaigns, Young lost his spot and was traded to the Wizards in a massive blockbuster deal.
Initially, the expectation was that D.C. would be a quick stop for Young, who is much older than most players on the Wizards’ inexperienced roster. But after five games for the Wizards last season, Trae claims that he’s committed to the team and intends to stick around for the long term.
“I know our team is gonna be ready. We have young guys who have been through the rebuilding stage,” Young added. “They went through a lot of losing the last few years, and they’re tired of losing. I want to be there with them when we’re winning.”
Historically, the Wizards are one of the least accomplished teams in the NBA, with only four NBA Finals appearances and just one championship (1978). In modern history, they’ve been a consistent lottery team, with one of the few exceptions being the era with John Wall and Bradley Beal. It’s not usually the place where players want to be as they are just entering their prime.
Trae Young, however, plans to change the narrative and put the Wizards on the map as a premier NBA destination. The city itself offers plenty of opportunities, and the franchise is in a better spot than it’s been for a while. Alongside star big man Anthony Davis, Trae can turn the Wizards into a competitive team next season and lead them to prominence just like he did with the Hawks years ago. That’s not to mention the impact of young guys like Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, and Kyshawn George.
It’s obviously easier said than done to turn the Wizards into a respectable team in the East, but Trae Young’s arrival has changed things. But as a four-time All-Star and eight-year veteran with career averages of 25.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game on 43.3% shooting from the field and 35.2% shooting from three, he’s in a unique position to shake up the NBA hierarchy in a major way.
