With 13 games remaining on the schedule, Trae Young seems just about done for the year.
On Saturday morning the Wizards announced the news that Young was out indefinitely due to multiple injuries. The former All-Star point guard suffered a quad contusion in a loss to the Warriors on Monday and related imaging found “lower back irritation.” Neither ailment will require surgery to fix, but the team said treatment was being approached “conservatively” and further updates would be provided when appropriate.
It marks another disappointing injury development for Young. The 27-year-old was limited to only 10 games for the Hawks in the first half of the season before he was acquired by Washington in January. He was unable to don his new uniform on the court at Capital One Arena until March 5, nearly two months after the trade.
Young suited up in five games for the Wizards before this latest bout with injuries. He averaged 20.6 minutes per game and posted a stat line of 15.2 points and 6.2 assists throughout. His new team was clearly taking it very slow in light of the sprained MCL he battled in Atlanta to start the year and the new issues that popped up in Washington.
Fellow All-Star acquisition, Anthony Davis, hasn’t played for the Wizards since he was traded at this year’s deadline due to a ligament injury in his hand. The team’s most recent update stated AD would be out through the end of March at the least. When paired with Young’s indefinite absence it seems all but certain the two will not share the floor in Washington until next season at the earliest—assuming the offseason doesn’t harbor more roster turnover for one of the league’s worst teams.
For the year Young is averaging 17.9 points and 8.0 assists in 15 appearances.
Young’s efforts to “build chemistry” with teammates put on hold
Given the losing status of this year’s Wizards team (and how obvious that was by the time Young was acquired), it was a surprise to some that the point guard was playing at all for Washington. He recently said he felt it was “very important” to be out there when possible in order to build chemistry within his new organization.
“Using these games, not necessarily looking, thinking about the win or the loss; it’s more about how can we get better throughout the game, and build that chemistry throughout the game,” he said to David Aldridge of The Athletic. “We don’t have very many practices right now; nobody does, at this time of year. So we’re using these games kind of like practices. Just getting those reps up and building that chemistry, I think, is very important.
“Right now, I’ve got to focus on building those right habits with these guys. Like, as much as I’m looking ahead, I’m still focused on right now, making sure each day that we’re getting better.”
It’s a great attitude to have as a veteran with substantive NBA success who has found himself on a tanking team. But, unfortunately, Young’s efforts are now on hold.
Young’s absence will help Wizards’ tank
It’s never good to see a player get hurt but Young’s absence will help usher the Wizards to their season-long goal of finishing with as poor a record as possible.
Washington is in a tight race to the bottom of the standings. If the franchise can finish with one of the three worst records in the NBA, the Wizards’ lottery odds will be as high as possible to land the No. 1 pick in an absolutely loaded 2026 NBA draft. If they manage to finish with the worst record in the league, they cannot draft any lower than fifth in the first round. Entering play on Saturday Washington checks in with the second-worst record in the league at 16–53, with only the Pacers ahead of them at 15–54. But the Kings and Nets are close behind with terrible records of their own.
|
TEAM |
RECORD |
|---|---|
|
Indiana Pacers |
15–54 |
|
Washington Wizards |
16–53 |
|
Brooklyn Nets |
17–53 |
|
Sacramento Kings |
18–53 |
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