Newly acquired Washington Wizards guard Trae Young is not expected to make his team debut any time soon. On January 7, 2026, Josh Robbins of The Athletic stated that Washington will not rush Young back from his injuries.
“Young returned from his knee sprain on Dec. 18 and played five games (in which Atlanta went 0-5) and last played Dec. 27 before suffering a right quadriceps contusion. The sprain, though, is not fully healed, and Washington will give Young as much time as he needs to get completely healthy. He has a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season”.
At first glance, Washington’s logic appears rational, as the team seeks to maximize its chances of securing the first overall pick in the 2026 draft. However, the acquisition of Trae Young immediately lowers the value of a potential lottery pick.
How Trae Young’s Ball-Dominant Play Shapes the Washington Wizards’ Offense
During his tenure in the league, Trae Young has earned a reputation as a ball-dominant player. Over his first seven seasons, Trae Young has been in the top five in touches per game, averaging 84.8, 9th in the league.
Trae Young also held the ball for a long time after receiving a pass. He is averaging 5.9 seconds per touch, which ranks in the top five in the league. Trae Young uses these touches to set up his favorite play type, the pick-and-roll.
Over his first seven seasons, Trae Young has run a pick-and-roll on 49.5% of his offensive possessions, averaging 13 per game. When Trae Young runs a pick-and-roll, the floor is typically spaced out. Three of his teammates are usually standing behind the three-point line as floor spacers. The setup forces the opposing team to make a decision :
1. Pack the paint to stop Trae Young or the roll man from scoring, leaving a teammate wide open behind the three-point line. Therefore, Trae Young could pass to a teammate for a wide-open three.
2. Stay close to shooters to prevent a three-pointer, which means Trae Young only had to deal with a maximum of two defenders. If both defenders pay attention to him, he can pass to the roll man for an easy basket. On the other hand, if each defender stayed with their assignment, Trae Young would have an easier time getting a quality shot to score.
A perfect example of the defensive dilemma opposing teams face vs. Trae Young happened on January 26 2022. Trae Young was bringing the ball up the court with 8 minutes left in the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings. Upon passing half court, he realized Sacramento had decided to stay close to the shooters.
Consequently, Trae Young decided to go over the screen set by his center and drive towards the basket. Once he passed the free throw line, Trae Young attempted a floater, but he missed. Fortunately, he got the rebound and immediately took another shot, which he made.
Why a 2026 Lottery Pick Becomes a Floor-Spacer Next to Trae Young
Young’s style of play forced several of his teammates to take most of their shots from behind the arc. Bogdan Bogdanović, De’Andre Hunter, and Dejounte Murray took over 33% of their shots from behind the arc during their Atlanta tenure, averaging over four attempts per game.
Trae Young’s style of play is unlikely to change with the Washington Wizards. Since the 2024-25 season, the Washington Wizards have been in the top five in pick-and-roll possession under head coach Brian Keefe, averaging 21 per game.
Therefore, his Washington teammates and the potential lottery pick will likely have to spend a significant amount of time in the role of floor space. If this happens, the perception of the lottery pick will be negative through no fault of their own, as they won’t be allowed to show their full skill set.
Consequently, Washington should prioritize pushing for the play-in tournament for two reasons.
1. N B A teams haven’t developed a habit of trading back in the draft. Over the past two decades, teams have traded out of a top-three pick only twice. In 2017, the Boston Celtics traded the first overall pick to Philadelphia for the third overall pick and a future first-round pick. In 2018, the Atlanta Hawks traded the third overall pick for the fifth overall pick.
2. Washington is likely to give Trae Young a long-term extension because his number one supporter in the basketball world joined the organization in 2023. Washington hired Travis Schlenk as senior vice president of player personnel on June 1st 2023. Travis Schlenk was the general manager when Atlanta drafted Trae Young in 2018.
On June 22, 2018, Travis stated that he viewed Trae Young on the same level as Luka Doncic.
“To us, when you look at both players, they were both the best two playmakers in the draft,” Schlenk said of Doncic and Trae Young. “Being able to make other people better with their passing ability, what they can both do in pick-and-rolls, they were both extremely intriguing. In all honesty, our group was really, really split between the two. It certainly wasn’t clear-cut, but getting the asset and we’re extremely excited about Trae, have been all year long.
In essence, the organizational support and Young’s playing style have lessened the value of the Washington Wizards 2026 lottery pick.
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