The Washington Wizards have desperately been seeking a player that can catapult them out of mediocrity and back into the mix in the Eastern Conference.
Since the departure of both John Wall and Bradley Beal, Washington has seemingly been stuck in the bottom of the pack in the East.
From countless NBA Draft botches, to failed free agency signings and even former MVP players who couldn't help them climb out of the hole (no offense to Russell Westbrook), the Wizards luck has been at an all-time low over the last few years.
After earning the No. 2 overall pick last offseason, hopes were that Alex Sarr could be the guy to turn things around in D.C. moving forward. The French product may not have been the answer (yet), but he did help Washington position themselves atop the field in the NBA Draft Lottery in May.
Obviously, missing out on Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper is the prime experience of being a Wizards fan. Ace Bailey too if we want to consider all avenues of how Washington was dealt a bad hand this offseason.
However, through it all, general manager Will Dawkins played the hand he was dealt and may have not only gotten the biggest steal in the draft as a whole, but the player this franchise has desperately been seeking all along.
In Game 1 of summer league play, Tre Johnson showcased plenty of flashes as to why the Wizards were more than comfortable standing firm at No. 6 overall to select him when the dominoes fell on draft night.
Heading into Game 2, the Texas standout has the opportunity to build on his strong debut and only add fuel to the fire of Wizards fans' hype train.
Johnson did exactly that and it only took 6 minutes for him to prove why the excitement around adding him to this rebuild is only continuing to increase.
Starting the game, Johnson got out to a hot start scoring 10 of the Wizards first 12 points. A rook putting the team on his back and proving exactly why his strongest skillset could be what sets him apart during his incoming rookie season.
The explosive guard finished the matchup with 21 points, while shooting 7/11 from the field willing the Wiz to their first win of summer league against the Brooklyn Nets.
Of course, expectations should be tempered in summer league, but the type of confidence that Johnson carries himself with on the court mixed with his talent and composure prove that he can be the player that Dawkins and the front office can build around and get one step closer to the ultimate goal.
All Johnson has to do is continue delivering and proving he can be the franchise player the team drafted him to be. So far, he's doing exactly that.