Tre Johnson may be the most overlooked name in the Wizards’ early-season conversation, and that’s saying something for a team already getting brushed aside in plenty of preseason projections.
Washington has tried to reset its direction this fall with a few major moves, most notably signing Trae Young and drafting AJ Dybantsa. Even so, the outside noise hasn’t softened much. The Ringer slotted the Wizards at No. 28 heading into the regular season, leaving them behind a number of teams that also aren’t exactly drawing glowing reviews.
That’s the backdrop for Johnson’s spot on the roster. Washington’s established names, including Young and Anthony Davis, will carry plenty of the burden, but the young group around them matters just as much. Dybantsa, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George are all part of that push, and Johnson fits into it too - even if his path looks a little different from the others.
The battle for the Wizards’ final premium wing spot ended with George getting the nod over Johnson. George’s defensive versatility and longer track record as a playmaker gave him the edge, which means Johnson is headed to the bench after a rookie season centered on his scoring.
That doesn’t make him any less important.
Johnson’s game is built around shot-making, and that remains his calling card no matter where he starts games. He can sprint into his favorite spots and let it fly from deep range without hesitation, and his pull-up appetite is enough to stand out even on a roster that includes Young. That kind of scoring freedom is part of what makes him such a useful piece.
His brief run at NBA Summer League only added to that case. In that setting, Johnson showed how valuable his scoring can be in a reserve role, especially when he isn’t sharing the floor with a dominant on-ball creator. With Young handling the main orchestration, Johnson should get chances to work out of the pick-and-roll, make reads, and stretch defenses with his spacing.
There are still reasons some people hesitate. His rookie shooting splits slipped from the 40% range down into the mid-30s as the season wore on, and questions about his slender frame have followed him. But a bench role could ease some of that pressure, especially if he isn’t forced into the kind of heavy workload that can expose those issues.
He also has a path to starting minutes if Washington’s bigs run into trouble. If Davis or Sarr misses time, Johnson could move into the lineup while Dybantsa and George slide up in the rotation. That gives him more than one route to impact.
Johnson and Dybantsa should both get attention as possible Rising Stars selections, and Johnson in particular looks like the kind of player who could be forgotten in broader team chatter while still being central to Washington’s plans. He may no longer be positioned as the organization’s headline young piece, but the Wizards are still clearly trying to figure out how much he can give them alongside the bigger names around him.
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