Tre Johnson’s first season in Washington is already about more than just getting through the rookie year. The Wizards want to know how far his game can go, and Khris Middleton is back in the room to help show him the path.
That pairing comes with a little Texas flavor, too. Johnson played his lone college season at Texas before going No. 6 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. Middleton, meanwhile, spent three seasons at Texas A&M before building a career that has included three All-Star selections and a championship.
The college rivalry is a fun wrinkle, but Washington cares far more about what Middleton brings as a veteran than where he played in college. He re-signed with the Wizards this summer after being dealt as part of the team’s trade for Anthony Davis, giving a young roster one of its most accomplished voices back in the mix.
Johnson has already shown the kind of nonstop approach that gets noticed. Before he had even played a regular-season game for Washington, CJ McCollum was essentially telling the then-19-year-old to pick up a hobby outside basketball because the sport had already taken over so much of his life.
That wasn’t a knock. If anything, it was a sign of respect.
Following Washington’s media day in September 2025, Locked On Wizards pointed out that Johnson’s work habits had already earned him respect from both younger and veteran teammates. A year later, the conversation around him has shifted. The question is no longer how the Wizards prepare him for his first season, but how good he can become.
Middleton can’t give the final answer to that. McCollum can’t either. No veteran Washington brings in will be able to predict the ceiling.
What they can do is help Johnson understand what it takes to last in the league. And with Middleton around, the Wizards have a proven example of what more than a decade of NBA growth can look like. The former Aggie has already found something he likes in the former Longhorn, and Washington is hoping that mentorship helps turn a promising scorer into something even bigger.
In Other News...
DeAndre Moore Just Reopened A Texas Debate Quinn Ewers Never Escaped
Several notable Texas players moved on to new programs this offseason, and DeAndre Moore Jr. is one of the most interesting voices to leave behind a fresh set of parting thoughts. After three years in Austin, Moore has settled in at Colorado, where hes already drawing attention not just for the move itself but for what he had to say about the quarterbacks he played with at Texas, Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers.
Moores comparison of Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis to Ewers is the part Longhorns fans will latch onto, because it reopens an old conversation about style, comfort and what the offense was asking for in Austin. He also made clear he wants to help Lewis develop, which gives the story a forward-looking edge even as it circles back to a Texas debate that never really went away. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Faces An Early CFP Test With Arch Manning In Focus
Before Texas even reaches October, the Longhorns are looking at a stretch that should tell plenty about where they stand in the national picture. The 2026 schedule opens with four games before the lone bye week, and the early runway includes Texas State, UTSA, Ohio State and Tennessee. For a program with College Football Playoff expectations, that kind of September leaves little room for easing in and plenty of room for the season to take shape fast.
A clean 4-0 start would not guarantee anything, but it would give Texas a real foothold in the playoff conversation and some breathing room before the rest of the schedule tightens. The bigger challenge is that the season does not end after that opening burst, with more significant games still waiting later on. For Arch Manning and the Longhorns, the early test is only part of the story, but it may end up carrying outsized weight. [Read more 🡒]