Armed with added muscle and refined ball handling, the sophomore guard looks to anchor the bench unit and ignite a potential Sixth Man of the Year campaign.
When the Washington Wizards selected guard Tre Johnson with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, they envisioned him blossoming into a legit scoring threat for years to come.
Throughout his rookie season, Johnson displayed his scoring and shot making ability, as he had four 20-plus point games. Fast forward to September, and Johnson looks poised to have a breakout sophomore season after an impressive Summer League campaign and offseason.
However, after the additions of Trae Young, Anthony Davis, AJ Dybantsa and others, Johnson is expected to play a large role but off the bench. With that being said, I believe Johnson will be one of the teams biggest beneficiaries of adding Young and Davis, as he will get a lot of shots with the bench unit and thrive alongside Young's playmaking and Davis' leadership.
Russell Lansford-Imagn ImagesJohnson's rookie season was a roller coaster, as he started the season off strong, but saw it derail towards the second half due to injuries. However, Johnson is looking healthier than ever heading into the 2026-27 season, and that was put on full display during Summer League.
Johnson only appeared in one Summer League game, but scored 26 points on 55% FG against the Utah Jazz.
Two of Johnson's biggest offensive weaknesses heading into the offseason were his ball handling and finishing, but during Summer League it was evident he had worked on that during the early offseason.
Additionally, Johnson has seemed to have put on weight his offseason, but in a good way. It has been widely speculated that Johnson gained 10+ pounds of muscle this summer, which is extremely encouraging given he was undersized last season.
With all that being said, the expectations for Johnson in year two are high, but still has a lot of room to grow at only 20 years old.
Johnson will likely start the season coming off the bench, as a backcourt of Young & Johnson have their fair share of defensive concerns. However, Johnson will still get opportunities to run with the starting lineup and be alongside one of the league's best playmakers in Young.
My expectations for Johnson in year two run as high as being a sixth man of the year award finalist, as I believe his scoring prowess and arsenal will be on full display this upcoming season. Additionally, I expect Johnson to get a higher volume of shots this season due to playing with the second unit.
If Johnson can remain healthy for a majority of the 2026-27 season, there's no reason he can't contend for awards and establish himself as one of the better young players in the NBA.
