Simply put, pure talent-wise, this Washington Wizards team might be the most pure basketball talent Trae Young has ever played with at once. He shared the court with solid players in Atlanta, even reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, but the Hawks never gave him a true secondary star.
Dejounte Murray was a solid idea on paper, but the two played better separately than together, and Jalen Johnson blossomed into an All-Star this year, but Young missed the majority of the season and came to the Wizards at the trade deadline.
The Wizards, in just one half of a season, managed to surround Young with an All-NBA-caliber big man when healthy in Anthony Davis, No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, and budding stars in Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, making this easily Young's most talented supporting cast on paper.
If things shake out right this season, Young has all of the pieces in place to potentially lead the league in total assists for a fourth time in his career, as well as assists per game for a second time.
Assists will be easy to come by for Trae Young this season
As a small sneak peek at what's to come, in the Wizards' latest preseason win against the Detroit Pistons, Young was able to dish out eight assists in just 23 minutes. The game before that was slightly less convincing, as Young had four assists in 17 minutes, but the formula is there.
Young will have not one, not two, but three extremely solid to elite pick-and-roll partners this season with Davis, Sarr, and Deandre Ayton. Davis and Sarr are able to both be effective rolling to the rim, as well as stretching the floor and offering value as pick-and-pop threats despite low percentages in previous seasons.
Ayton isn't going to stretch the floor, but he's a big body who's had success playing with elite point guards in the past as a lob threat and paint finisher. On top of that, Young will be able to feast on transition passes. Dybantsa is already a top pure athlete in the NBA, and he'll be able to use that athleticism to feast on transition opportunities that Young can set up.
The trifecta of weapons that Young has around him is shooting threats. Granted, shooting might be the biggest test for the Wizards this season, but Tre Johnson, Khris Middleton, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George are all reliable deep threats who can provide Young with outlets.
Young has already led the league in assists three times before, and this Wizards team offers an incredible opportunity for him to do it for a fourth season.
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