Point guard Trae Young wasted little time reminding the NBA of his capabilities, recording 20 points and 13 assists to lead the Washington Wizards to a 128-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in their season opener.
For Young, the performance served as an emphatic response to a difficult, injury-plagued previous campaign. Limited to just 15 games overall last season—including only five appearances with Washington following a January trade from Atlanta—the four-time All-Star missed out on the league-wide spotlight. During the 2024-25 season, Young had led the league in assists with 11.6 per game while averaging 24.2 points.
“If anybody missed the whole season, it’s easy to forget what they can do,” Young said after the game. “I’m looking forward to letting the season get started and getting back to my old self.”
Young’s dazzling debut coincided with a dominant 34-point, 12-rebound performance from teammate Anthony Davis. Like Young, Davis missed substantial time due to injuries last season, making Wednesday night’s contest the first time the pair shared the court in a regular-season game since the Wizards acquired them last winter.
Davis did much of his damage in the third quarter, pouring in 18 points, while Young took over in the fourth with five points, six assists, and zero turnovers, distributing the ball to seven different players over the course of the night.
“I always know when the fourth quarter comes, I’ve got to be ready to make sure I give my team a great shot each and every time they’re on the court,” Young said.
Washington coach Brian Keefe praised Young’s impact beyond the box score, highlighting his competitiveness and playmaking vision. Davis echoed that sentiment, noting how difficult it is for opposing defenses to handle a high-IQ playmaker.
“Anytime you’re putting two on the ball with a guy who can pass like that and who has a very high IQ in Trae Young, he’s going to pick you apart,” Davis said. “It’s our job to get in the right places to get him outlets and then we just play from there.”
Young, who signed a four-year contract extension with the franchise in the offseason, embraced his role as the face of the franchise by delivering a welcoming speech to fans right before tipoff. He sits at the center of a newly configured roster designed to lift the organization out of a lengthy rebuilding cycle. The Wizards have not reached the postseason since 2021, enduring three consecutive seasons of 15, 18, and 17 wins while accumulating high draft picks.
Alongside Young and Davis, the roster features veterans with championship pedigree, including Khris Middleton and Deandre Ayton, who appeared in the 2021 NBA Finals. That experienced core is blended with a promising young foundational group featuring AJ Dybantsa, the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft; Tre Johnson and Will Riley, selected in 2025; Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George, drafted in 2024; and Bilal Coulibaly, who arrived in 2023.
While both Young and Davis acknowledged that a single victory is only the first step in an 82-game schedule, the win provided an immediate dose of optimism for a franchise seeking a major turnaround.
“For me, this is a breath of fresh air and I think the whole city is feeling another breath of fresh air with the guys that we’ve got,” Young said.
