Trae Young's Inefficiencies Loom Large for Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards were humbled in the worst way 

Trae Young entered the week with a pair of games on the schedule that may have had more importance than others given it marked both his first time facing his former team, then first time in the city that watched him rise to stardom just two days later. While he notched a double-double in game two after scoring 18 points on 50% shooting in the first meeting, both ended in humbling losses for Washington.

Then came Saturday night, when the Wizards fell by 39 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a defeat the fell eerily similar to previous seasons under a less competitive team. Back near his hometown against the Thunder, Young totaled just four points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field. He also added five rebounds, but his three assists marked a season-low.

It marked the latest concerning offensive output for Young, despite averaging 20 points per game this season. While his 9.6 assists still paces the NBA, Young's scoring has been inconsistent, at best, to officially begin his tenure in Washington. Though he's shooting over 53% inside the arc, his production has been limited as Young enters the final game of the road trip shooting 29% this season from three. It's also worth noting over one-third of Young's points have also come from the charity stripe, where he's shooting 86.1% through ten games.

Over his last four games in November, Young is shooting just 33.3% from three and 41.3% from the field, but one day after Young totaled nine turnovers against the Hawks in Atlanta, the Thunder were also able to take Young out of his element with routine traps just past half court. Though he has notched more assists than turnovers in all ten games, Young also sits 16th across the NBA with 3.4 turnovers per game. Trae Young's inefficiency on defense has also been glaring through the first ten games, trailing only Bilal Coulibaly's minus-ten net rating along the Wizards' roster.

It marks a humbling start for Young, whose passing made an immediate impact on the Wizards' halfcourt with the shooting touch a work in progress. Yet after inking a four year deal worth $212 million, the Wizards will need more from their star point guard, especially in games against the NBA's best. The problems aren't confined to Young given the ongoing rebound struggles that have been magnified by Justin Champagnie's absence, along with the inefficiency from the double big lineups.

Still, Young is the head of the offense, marking a concern that the Wizards have to mitigate the rest of the season.

Young and Washington will now look to end the three-game solution by finding a solution against the Detroit Pistons, who enter Monday as the NBA's worst defensive team.