Field Level Media
05 Mar 2026, 18:35 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)
Trae Young plans to make his long-awaited debut for the Washington Wizards when they host the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
Young made the announcement in a video posted to his Instagram account on Monday. He has not played for the Wizards since they acquired him in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9.
The four-time NBA All-Star has been limited to just 10 games this season while dealing with knee and quad injuries. He's averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists per game and should offer an instant boost to Washington's offense.
Young will be on a minutes restriction against Utah, with the current plan being for him to play 17 to 20 minutes.
He already has made his presence known to his teammates after getting ejected during the Wizards' 123-118 loss to Houston on Monday. Young left the bench and walked onto the court to protest a no-call after Jamir Watkins got shoved by Houston's Tari Eason.
'Don't expect me to get ejected too many more times D.C.,' Young said in a post to his X account. 'But I'm definitely bringing that energy and competitiveness when I'm back for my brothers!'
Even while on the sidelines, Young has tried to play an active role in helping his team become better.
Washington ran its losing streak to six games following Tuesday's 126-109 setback to Orlando. But his efforts to coach up teammates from the bench and give them feedback have not gone unnoticed.
'He's talking to everybody in every timeout,' Wizards coach Brian Keefe told The Athletic. 'He sees so much. He has so much stuff to share. He's completely engaged in the whole game. So, I am not surprised that he stood up (for) his teammates. That's the type of guy he is, and we're lucky to have him.'
Amid its own slump, Utah also has shown a competitive fire.
The Jazz have dropped seven straight games after losing 106-102 to Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Still, they have strung together numerous hard-fought contests going down to the wire in that stretch.
A 128-125 setback to the Denver Nuggets on Monday serves as a prime example.
Utah pushed the Nuggets for four quarters and actually took a 122-118 lead with 2:13 left after scoring on nine straight possessions. Keyonte George, who finished with 36 points, keyed the surge with four consecutive baskets and finished it off with a dunk off a steal.
George followed it up by leading Utah with 30 points against the 76ers on Wednesday. He made back-to-back 3-pointers to help the Jazz build a 100-94 lead with 4:51 left before Philadelphia closed the game on a 12-2 run.
Even with the postseason far out of reach, Utah is playing like a team that isn't thinking ahead to offseason vacation plans.
'We can play mind games a little bit,' George told the Deseret News on Monday. 'Try to trick ourselves into thinking that these last few games we're trying to find our rhythm as a team maybe going into the postseason.'
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Denver Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Denver Sun.
More InformationCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The U.S. Navy has sunk an Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean, extending its unilateral war on Iran into Southeast...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. State Department has begun transitioning from Anthropic's AI systems to OpenAI, as more federal agencies...
CONCORD, New Hampshire: Music icon Cher's son was arrested late last week after police said he behaved aggressively at a private high...
VATICAN CITY: A book just released on the election of Pope Leo as the head of the Catholic Church last May has revealed a massive security...
ABU DHABI/DUBAI/DOHA/DHAKA: Hundreds of thousands of travelers were left stranded on March 1 as escalating strikes involving the United...
LA PAZ, Bolivia: Currency notes littered the ground when a cargo plane carrying cash crashed on February 27 near the Bolivian capital,...
(Photo credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images) Trae Young plans to make his long-awaited debut for the Washington Wizards when they host...
(Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images) The Los Angeles Lakers enter Thursday sixth in the Western Conference playoff race....
(Photo credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images) The United States national team routed the Colorado Rockies 14-4 in its second double-digit...
(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images) With the final weeks of the regular season at hand and the Houston Rockets locked in a tight...
(Photo credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images) The San Jose Sharks signed forward Kiefer Sherwood to a five-year contract extension...
(Photo credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images) The New York Islanders understand they can't rely on mounting dramatic comeback wins...
