The Washington Wizards have had a solid enough start to the new campaign. Good flashes from Anthony Davis have been promising, and Trae Young has been giving them a consistent 20 points and 10 assists. But on Tuesday night, the Wizards got their first taste of how bad Young defense can lose them games. Brandon Miller targeted him relentlessly.
By the end of the night, Young only guarded Miller for 1:21 of game time. But that didn’t prevent Miller from absolutely cooking Young. Miller ended the game shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from deep against Young. He scored 15 of his 39 points by targeting Young. It was a brutal sight.
Young is always going to be a target for opposing offenses. Teams are going to force him into actions to try to bully him. That’s exactly what Miller did, and it helped spearhead a Hornets victory.
Brandon Miller picked on Trae Young all night
It was a close game on Tuesday night. Both sides were in it. Charlotte went up by double digits in the fourth, but the Wizards fought all the way back to make it a one-possession game.
But at the end of the day, the Wizards just couldn’t find an answer for Miller. He was on fire. Unstoppable. And he got most of his buckets by picking on Young whenever he got the chance.
Miller ended the game with 39 points, six rebounds, one assist, three steals, and two blocks while shooting 15-of-28 from the floor and 5-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc.
It was actually Naz Reid who closed out the game with 16 fourth-quarter points, but Miller’s game-long outburst put the Hornets in a position to secure the victory in the first place.
Young is a liability on the defensive end. That doesn’t mean he’s not a good player. He’s a great player. An elite shot creator who is also one of the best passers and pick-and-roll ball-handlers in the league.
However, his lack of defensive abilities does make him a flawed player. And on Tuesday night, the Wizards got a real taste of just how bad things can get when an opposing star decides to really pick on Young.
Miller went at him. Whenever he got the chance, he found a way to get Young on him, and from there, it was over. He scored almost every single time.
That’s something the Wizards are going to have to work on. They need to protect Young better than they did against the Hornets.
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