Trae Young made an impressive debut for the Washington Wizards, scoring 12 points and recording six assists in limited playing time. Despite Young’s flashy performance, the Wizards fell to the Utah Jazz 122-112 in his first game since being traded from Atlanta.
WASHINGTON — In his inaugural appearance wearing a Washington Wizards uniform, Trae Young delivered a spectacular performance filled with highlight-reel plays.
The point guard wasted no time making an impact, scoring an easy basket on Washington’s opening offensive play. During the first half, Young executed an impressive fake behind-the-back maneuver with his right hand before switching to his left and finishing a difficult layup through contact.
The third quarter brought more fireworks as Young connected on a three-point shot while drawing a foul, then threaded a pass through a defender’s legs to create a scoring opportunity for a teammate.
“I just wanted to come out here and just have some fun,” Young said. “Get the first one out of the way.”
Young contributed 12 points and six assists during his 19-plus minutes of action in Washington’s 122-112 defeat to Utah on Thursday evening. The Wizards obtained Young from Atlanta in a January trade, but he had been sidelined since then due to quadriceps and knee problems.
The arena atmosphere became electric when Young took the court with the starting five, and despite playing under time restrictions, he provided fans with a preview of his offensive capabilities — constant activity and creativity on that end of the floor.
“You felt the electricity in the building,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “Our fans have been terrific this year. I’m glad they came out to show support today. You could definitely feel it.”
Young admitted he experienced restless anticipation the night before his debut.
“I was really looking forward to today,” he said. “Just coming out here and shaking off whatever rust I would have, just from missing a few months of basketball.”
While Young commanded most of the attention, two first-year players managed to steal some spotlight. Utah’s Ace Bailey established a personal best with 32 points, while Juju Reese — appearing in only his third NBA contest — recorded 18 points and 20 rebounds for Washington.
Tre Johnson, selected by the Wizards immediately following Bailey in last year’s draft, contributed 15 points exclusively from beyond the three-point arc.
The developing chemistry between Young and Johnson will be worth monitoring. However, the partnership that could truly generate excitement in Washington involves Young and Anthony Davis, though the latter remains unavailable since the Wizards acquired him last month.
Davis continues recovering from ligament damage in his left hand. The organization announced Thursday that he has received medical clearance to begin restricted basketball activities on the court and will undergo another evaluation in two weeks.