New point guard Trae Young is set to make his Washington Wizards debut when the Utah Jazz head to the nation's capital
The Washington Wizards will return to action on Thursday night in a game featuring a pair of teams sitting inside the top five of the NBA Draft Lottery, per Tankathon. But for the first time this season, the upcoming game has a much different feel compared to the previous 61 games.
Trae Young is officially set to make his Wizards debut tomorrow when Washington hosts Utah, marking his first appearance in a uniform since being acquired on Jan. 9, while it marks his first appearance since late December since the Hawks faced the New York Knicks. It ended longtime speculation as to when he would ultimately make his return to the court, but there was never a doubt that he would eventually make his return to the court.
General manager Will Dawkins admitted it was “highly likely” that both Young and Anthony Davis, who was acquired one day ahead of the trade deadline, make their return to the floor during the 2025-26 season. While news of a likely extension surfaced just hours ahead of news of his debut, Thursday now marks a chance for Young to first showcase how he meshes with the existing core of players, and more importantly, how he fits in the backcourt.
“Really excited because we know what he’s capable of. He’s going to make everything easier for us so we really can’t wait for him to get out there,” Bilal Coulibaly said of Young. “I can be way more active defensively like cutting a little bit more because I know he’s going to find me. I’m really excited.”
Maybe the most peculiar moment came during Monday night’s loss against Houston when he was ejected for coming off the bench during a scuffle between Jamir Watkins and Tari Eason, meaning the new Wizards point guard recorded an ejection before registering a point, assist, rebound or even a minute with the team. But head coach Brian Keefe had no problem with Young, either in the moment or as a result of the scuffle.
“I think he was just sticking up for his teammates, which I thought was great,” Keefe said on Monday. “Obviously the refs missed the call which our guy got knocked down and I loved how our teammates stuck with him. Whatever happened in that moment, I was actually proud of him because he stuck up for his teammates and I really care about that type of stuff.
Young averaged 19.3 points and 8.9 assists in ten games this season before an MLC and quad injury proved to be the theme of his 2025-26 season, but the former four-time All Star adds firepower to the lineup. When Davis ends up making his return remains unclear with his recovery ongoing, but Young will give the Wizards the impact piece they’ve been looking for. And others around the league know that, too.
"Just a dynamic guy that can create for everybody else, score for himself. He’s going to make the game easier for everybody else on the floor,” Kevin Durant said of Young on Monday. “He’s a true point guard. Right now they’re kind of doing it by committee so with him out there, it’ll ease everybody’s mind and their game and they can just settle into their roles. I'm excited for the hometown team, excited for [Anthony Davis] to put the jersey on too and represent the city. I see bright things in their future."