Tre Johnson sets career highs after calling Trae Young a ‘sideline coach’

Washington Wizards continue to kill two birds with one stone: have competitive performances that encourage player development while staying on pace to retain their top eight protected draft picks. They continued that trend on Saturday 119-115 road loss to the Charlotte Hornetswhile sharpshooting rookie Tre Johnson recorded a game-high 26 points (8-22 FG, 6-15 3-point) with six assists in 37 minutes.

19 year old delivered that performance about 36 hours after the injured star’s call Trae Young (knee, quadriceps) “side trainer”.

I asked Tre Johnson what he’s learned from watching Trae Young over the years and being around him since the trade (thread):

“Great passer. Great game IQ, especially when seen from a different lens now he’s not on the court, you can actually see the whole floor…” pic.twitter.com/9LIafKJFbt

— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) January 23, 2026

“Great passer. Great game IQ, especially when you see it from a different lens that’s not on the court now, you can actually see the whole floor, I’d say.” Johnson said when asked how Young has influenced him both as a player over the years and as a teammate since Washington acquired him on Jan. 7. “I’m just giving the pieces to guys when you’re coming out or during timeouts. I feel like I’m just listening and paying attention, ’cause most of the stuff he’s talking about, the next play is like it’s going to happen on the other end. It’s going to be open.”

Young has yet to make his debut on the pitch for The Wizards will be out until at least the All-Star break how to rehabilitate. However, the four-time All-Star constantly share knowledge with the “Whiz Kids” on the bench during games, and it paid off for Johnson.

The 19-year-old’s play has picked up recently, as he set a career high with five assists in the Wizards’ 110-106 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 19 before scoring six in Charlotte. He had three outings with a 3.0 plus assist/turnover ratio in his last five after having just two in his previous 32 games.

Tre Johnson’s death continues to stand out. Already 5 assists for him, pic.twitter.com/2ikg41Zopj

— Wizards Film Room (@KevinFolliNBA) January 24, 2026

That growth is partly the result of gaining more experience, but Young’s “giving away bits” doesn’t hurt either. The one-time All-NBA honoree led the league with 11.6 assists per game last season, so Johnson’s description of him and how he helps on the sideline is spot on.

Young is an elite offensive organizer and facilitator, while Johnson is primarily a shooter. The latter may never become a playmaker at the junior level, but he’s also established himself as a capable secondary ball handler in addition to shooting 39.3 percent from three. The next step is maintaining consistency, which he called one of his main goals heading into the season after Thursday 107-97 loss at home to the Denver Nuggets.

“Consistency and defense. Those are the two biggest things on my mind,” he said.

Michael Winger shares growth expectations for Trae Young, Wizards

Johnson’s comments about Young as well coordinate with that team president Michael Winger spoke about the latter player during his press conference on Thursday, via the Monumental Sports Network.

“Trae Young has a long track record of making the players around him better, especially on the offensive end,” he said. “For what we’re trying to do organizationally, and player development is our priority, we believe Trae Young will contribute greatly to our player development program, not only for himself, but for all of our athletes.”

Johnson’s quote and recent assist numbers show that Winger’s words were not empty. Young is already helping Washington’s “player development program” even though he has yet to play a game with the team.

“And I think the boys are just having fun playing with him, so they double the joy,” the winger continued. “We’re a big believer that whether it’s on the strategic team, on the coaching staff or on the evaluation team, if you love what you do, you’re probably going to be very good at what you do. We want our players to continue to love playing basketball. That’s not a problem for our guys, but I think Trae Young is playing basketball, and our basketball is going to be a happy brand.”

Young, who led the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, could be a major factor for an organization that has bottomed out in securing a top-six lottery pick in each of the last two seasons and is doing so again this year. That process was painful but necessary, as it resulted in Johnson and his co-star Alex Sarr. After making another foundational piece this summer, the plan is for Young and company to form a competitive team next season.

“I’m not setting a barometer for what should be next season,” said the winger. “I expect that, especially with Treo Young on the basketball team, and the development of our young players (like) Alex, (Kishon George), Bilal (Koulibaly), Bub (Carrington), Tre, and so on, I expect us to be better next season than we were this season. How much better we are remains to be seen. But I think we all expect ourselves to be better next season. competitive basketball games than we’ve been in.”

For now, Wizards fans can enjoy progress in an NBA-worst 10-34 campaign, such as Johnson’s improved playmaking. Young’s eventual return this season will serve as a trial run for next year, when the organization plans to finally prioritize winning over developing while losing. Right now, finishing in the bottom four in the league standings is crucial to ensure that this summer’s lottery pick is in the top eight, which would guarantee that it won’t be dealt to the New York Knicks.

Next up for Washington is a home date with the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.