But for the devoted fans whose stomachs may still be recovering from three consecutive years of the brutal nightly on-court product, the idea of the Wizards suddenly transitioning from the league’s worst band of stoppers<\/a> into a respectable unit is a tough sell. As impressive as Anthony Davis<\/a>‘ versatile strength and Alex Sarr<\/a>‘s recovery speed are, the Wizards’ perimeter is stacked with no shortage of low-impact defenders<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is where Tre Johnson<\/a> looks to emerge. He’s enjoyed all of the rocks that come with every rookie’s maiden NBA voyage, backing up all of the shooting<\/a> and playmaking upside he’d advertised as a draft prospect a year ago, and he’s gaining a better understanding of how he can contribute on defense right when it’s starting to get important. <\/p>\n “I feel like defense is still a want-to, an effort thing,” Johnson reiterated at end-of-season media availability earlier this week. “I feel like over the course of the season I got better, being in the right spots, learned a whole new defensive scheme and stuck to it the whole season. I thought that was my main adjustment, and I feel like more of a focus for me going into the summer is just more stopping my man because I already understood the team defensive schemes.”<\/p>\n Apr 1, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Wizards’ Need for Reliability<\/p>\n As confident<\/a> as Johnson’s been about his abilities to comfortably slot into the NBA, his self-awareness as a defender is refreshing, if nothing new. <\/p>\n He provided scouting reports of his own before logging a single big-league minute in pointing out his shortcomings as a defender, repeatedly clarifying a desire to improve<\/a> on that side of the ball amidst his chase to solidify himself as an all-around threat.<\/p>\n The Wizards may need him to be helpful on that end quicker than fans may have anticipated, though, even if his stopping ability was never tabbed as a particular strength of the skinny guard pre-draft.<\/p>\n Sharing Washington’s backcourt with Trae Young<\/a> will spare Johnson from ever being the worst defender of the bunch in the team’s prospective rotation, but the smaller point man is much more essential to the group’s offensive flow and dynamic. Johnson isn’t the same caliber of table setter as the 4x All-Star<\/a>, making it that much more necessary that he pull his weight to help make up for the lead guard’s deficiencies on head coach Brian Keefe’s preferred end<\/a> of the court.<\/p>\n Mar 5, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) celebrates with Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) after a base against the Utah Jazz in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n He isn’t alone in his generation of aspiring defenders, even if bigger wings in Kyshawn George<\/a> and Bilal Coulibaly<\/a> have each flexed more potential and physical advantages on that front. A team’s defensive culture is only as good as the weaker links on the floor, and Johnson seems to sense the need to escape liability-status and join his fellow prospects as two-way impact pieces in fueling the turnaround, especially as other fellow youngsters continue making their own intriguing cases for logging heavy minutes in the near-future. <\/p>\n The lanky Will Riley <\/a>doesn’t offer these same concerns; neither does the sturdy Jamir Watkins<\/a>, the dogged Justin Champagnie<\/a> or even breakout newcomer Julian Reese<\/a>. Before long, the two Tre(a)s are alone at the bottom of the functional depth chart as defensive hazards, and that’s before a fresh round of incoming rookies further complicates Keefe’s lineups.<\/p>\n Johnson’s already flashed the shooting touch and instincts, tools rare enough to guarantee him regular burn regardless of present flaws. But as satisfying as the highlights<\/a> were, his summertime itinerary sounds about as defined as could be within a week of the Wizards’ regular season mercifully coming to a close. If he’s looking to maximize the minutes he’s seeing in continuing to advertise his upside, this desire to continue closing up blind spots while fortifying his already-established strengths is the way to go about approaching a healthy offseason.<\/p>\n![\"Philadelphia](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kpcafttdx42zzpv7pd.jpg\" "\\"Philadelphia")
<\/p>\n![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kpccgwz1advmm184p7.jpg\" "\\"Washington")
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