John Wall wants Alex Sarr to ask Trae Young these questions after Wizards trade

That’s exciting for a team as hungry for success as Washington The Wizards will get Tree Young caliber anyway, but it’s especially satisfying for fans when a franchise icon analyzes the situation on his broadcast network. That’s what a five-time NBA All-Star is John Wall did after Young’s introductory press conference on Friday.

Wall, who was Washington’s last big point guard before acquiring Young from the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, discussed how Young can network with a sophomore center Alec Sarr on Monumental Sports Network’s “Wizards Pregame Live.”

“I think the biggest thing for him is to come in with his leadership. That’s what they want to see from him … I want Alex Sarr to come in and ask questions,” said the 2014 NBA slam dunk champion. “I like how me and (Marcin) Gortat had the pick-and-roll situation. We know Trae Young can pass the ball, get in the paint, do all those things. I want Alex to ask him, ‘How can I get better at this? How do I read this coverage? When am I going to pop, when am I going to roll?’

Gortat, nicknamed the “Poland Hammer,” played with the Wall in Washington from 2013-18, by far the organization’s most successful five-year stretch in the 21st century. The Wizards never finished below .500 during those years and made four playoff appearances, including three berths in the Eastern Conference semifinals. They nearly made it to the conference finals in 2017, but lost 115-105 to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the conference semifinals.

Gortat was the center, and his chemistry with Wall was one of the main reasons the team was competitive at the time. Gortat averaged 11.6 points on 55.5 percent shooting as a Wizard and signed a five-year, $60 million extension in July 2014, the richest contract he’s ever received. The 2005 second-round pick didn’t have deep offense, but he and Wall’s pick-and-roll game created open looks at the basket.

In contrast, Sarr is already developing into an offensive force in addition to being an elite rim protector. Entering Sunday night’s game with the Phoenix Suns, the 20-year-old is averaging 17.3 points on 50.3 percent shooting (35.7 percent from 3-point range) and three assists in 28.2 minutes despite not having a real point guard to set the table for him beforehand Washington acquired Young from the Hawks on Wednesday. Young (quad, MCL) is out indefinitely, but Wall wants him and Sarr to discuss their pick-and-roll strategy in the meantime. If they do, they each have the talent to lead Washington beyond Wall and Gortat.

“So I think everything he’s saying is perfect,” Wall said of Young’s reporter. “All that stuff you heard about him not being a good guy in the Atlanta locker room — he’s trying to change that now. He wants to show people that he can be that guy, the leader, the one that gets us back to the playoffs, maybe even back to the Eastern Conference finals like he did in Atlanta.”

Trae Young praises leadership goals with Wizards

As Wall alluded to, there have been several reports over the years that Young didn’t always do hang out with your teammates in Atlanta, a rumor echoed by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus on the Buha’s Block podcast in 2024.

“His reputation is that — he’s not necessarily liked by his teammates,” Pincus said of Young. “That’s the thing. And I don’t like to say negative things, but it’s pretty overwhelming. I guess the information about Tree is that his teammates don’t enjoy playing with him.”

But Wall was pleased with Young the promise of help Washington’s young core will be at their best on Friday.

“Just being able to influence my teammates … I feel like I did a good job of that as a young player in Atlanta, so I was able to be a vet with these young guys here.”

Trae Young on what he can bring to a young Wizards team 🙌

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/VK9oFzL0BI

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 9, 2026

“Just to be able to impact my teammates,” Young said of what he brings to the Wizards. “I feel like I did a good job as a young player in Atlanta, so I was able to be a vet with these young guys here.

Time will tell if Young is a positive influence on Sarr, third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly, rookie point guard Tre Johnson, second-year wing Keeshon George, sophomore guard Bub Carrington and the Wizards’ other young players, but the fact that he cited being a positive example for them as one of the main ways he can help the organization is promising. While the 27-year-old isn’t a finished product himself, his experience leading Atlanta to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals and two more playoff appearances gives him knowledge that will be useful for the “Wiz Kids.”

Part of that knowledge is how points and centers can be effective pick-and-roll and lane partners, as Young and former Hawks center Clint Capela had chemistry similar to Wall and Gortat. Capela averaged 11.8 points on 59.9 percent shooting over five seasons with the former Oklahoma Sooner, and his two-year, $45.4 million extension with Atlanta in September 2021 was the richest of his career. Sarr is also more talented than Capela, so imagine what the French international could do next to Young, who led the NBA with 11.6 assists per game last season.

None of this guarantees prosperity for Young’s Wizards, but history shows his arrival in the nation’s capital is worth the excitement for the fan base.