The Washington Wizards are still trying to sort through the early-season mess that comes with adding new pieces, and Wednesday night made the growing pains impossible to ignore. In a 120-105 loss to Trae Young’s former team, the Atlanta Hawks, the offense never really found a rhythm.
The biggest issue was the long ball. Washington hit only six 3-pointers on 26 attempts, a rough 23.1% clip, while Atlanta buried 19 of its 49 shots from deep. That gap was too much for the Wizards to overcome, and the defeat dropped them to 4-4.
Afterward, Young didn’t dance around the problem. He said the issue has been clear from the start.
“Not enough points, obviously,” Young said, via Bijan Todd of Monumental Sports Network. “Our offense has been lacking, really, to be honest all season. Once our offense gets going, I definitely see us being a better team.”
That assessment fits what the numbers have shown so far. Through eight games, Washington sits in the bottom 10 in offensive rating, a disappointing spot for a roster with this much talent. Young, as the floor general, carries plenty of responsibility for that sluggish start.
The Wizards’ “offense has been lacking, to be honest, all season,” according to Trae Young.
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) November 5, 2026
What specifically has been subpar?
“Not enough points, obviously.” pic.twitter.com/wRIQJCfZ2C
The Wizards have struggled to create clean looks from outside, and that has made life easier for opposing defenses. Young’s scoring has also been quieter than it has been in past seasons, and if this group is going to get its offense rolling, he’ll need to pick up the pace.
There’s still time for Washington to figure it out. Rookie AJ Dybantsa is still getting his first taste of the NBA, and head coach Brian Keefe is continuing to mix and match lineups to find the right combinations. But if the Wizards want to turn their potential into a real push for a playoff spot, they’ll need to move faster.
In Other News...
Trae Youngs New Wizards Role Gets Tested In A Game That Matters
Washington has spent the early part of the season getting encouraging signs from its primary starters, with Anthony Davis and AJ Dybantsa both helping set a more stable tone. Now the spotlight shifts to Trae Young, whose arrival from Atlanta was supposed to bring a different kind of value to the roster. Rather than being asked to carry everything, he is expected to settle into a part-time playmaking mentor role, a different assignment for a player long used to being the engine.
The timing makes the matchup with the Hawks especially interesting, because it puts Young in a game that carries more weight than a typical early-season meeting. For the Wizards, it is a chance to see how his experience translates in a setting that matters, while also adjusting to the ripple effects of a roster that has changed around him. There is also a broader layer to the night with other familiar names in the mix, which only adds to the sense that this one has more history attached to it than most November games. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Title Hopes May Depend On Trae Young Making One Change
The Wizards long-term ceiling may come down to how Trae Young adapts alongside rookie AJ Dybantsa, and that starts with Young doing more damage away from the ball. Washington brought in a high-usage guard who has spent most of his career dictating every possession, but the fit the front office is chasing is different now, with Dybantsa emerging as a potential centerpiece and the team looking for a two-man game that can stress defenses in more than one way.
Dybantsa has already given the organization reason to believe the pairing can work, even in the early stages of his first NBA stretch. For Washington, the appeal is obvious: if Young can turn himself into a credible off-ball threat, it would open the floor for Dybantsas development and give the Wizards a cleaner path toward the kind of offensive balance that matters when the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Defense Is Giving Fans A Real Reason To Believe
The early-season conversation around Washington has shifted in a hurry, and for once it starts on the defensive end. A group that was buried by opponents a year ago has become one of the leagues more disruptive units, with veteran additions helping steady the floor and young players such as Kyshawn George, Justin Champagnie and Bilal Coulibaly taking real steps forward. It is the kind of progress that changes how a team is viewed, especially for a roster still trying to build an identity.
There is also a more intriguing layer to it now, because the Wizards have found stretches where their defense looks even sharper when certain pieces are on the court together. Injuries and role changes have kept that combination from showing up as often as the team would like, but the underlying trend is hard to ignore. For a franchise that has spent so long searching for signs of traction, the defensive leap alone is enough to make the rest of the season worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]