Wizards' Brian Keefe Has Tough Challenge After Trae Young Trade

After nearly two months of running in mud, the Washington Wizards' rebuild is finally starting to pay off in the eyes of fans who've grown numb to near-endless losing.

Star prospects like Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson have taken on more prominent roles within Washington's offense, frequently experimenting with heavier workloads while largely flourishing against a variety of matchups. They're visibly growing, as is the Wizards' win count, adding five more wins over the last eight games.

They've enjoyed the luxury of quiet, gradual improvement, repeatedly catching other fan bases by surprise when they, the often-forgotten Wizards, prove that their rebuild is getting somewhere, but that all changed earlier this week. That's when they traded for Trae Young, firmly placing them on the NBA's map upon landing the star point guard.

Shoutout from @TheTraeYoung to y'all, D.C. fam 🎤 pic.twitter.com/APMhCALcBz
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 9, 2026

The roster he's joining has holes that need filling, as the Wizards now need more scoring and shooting to fill in for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert after sending them to the Atlanta Hawks. And while Young is certainly qualified to take as many shots as his team needs, he poses a unique challenge for a Washington coaching staff now asked to balance the high-usage All-Star with the developing pieces that'll act as his supporting cast as soon as he's healthy enough to suit up.

Fitting In with Young

Brian Keefe and co. have plenty of time to game plan as Young heals up from a quad contusion. And even if he does play this season, he won't be a full-time member of the team's rotation, as their priority remains centered around securing their pick within the top-eight of the draft lottery to keep it from falling into the grasp of the New York Knicks.

Young will help some of his new teammates in more obvious ways with others, surely making Sarr's scoring job easier as a high-usage pick-and-roll passer and lob-tosser. Athletic wings like Bilal Coulibaly and Justin Champagnie will likely appreciate his eye for passing on their own cut-heavy shot diets.

Washington Wizards Head Coach Brian Keefe — Jan 2, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe speaks with his players during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Ball-handlers like George, Johnson and Bub Carrington will require a bit more thought in Young-centered lineups.

Carrington, an on-ball guard in his own right who's at his best as a pull-up shooter, is more-or-less locked into a sixth man role upon the 4x All-Star's debut, the sort of position he's already slotted into as second unit director. George, for his part, is likely best-suited as a secondary scorer, and now gets to enjoy more space for his three-level bucket-generation.

Johnson's got it tougher than anyone, a considerably-less sizeable defender than George while lacking Carrington's disruptive hands. He may not have a high ceiling as a one-on-one stopper, but his team defense will have to take a step up, a piece of his game he's already spoken on. Young, older than everyone else in the rotation, is one of the smallest and least-impactful on that end of any major-minute eater in the game, and will have to be worked around by his younger co-stars.

Johnson can make it work as an off-ball weapon, dancing around screens into open catch-and-shoot jumpers in a realistic scenario. Keefe, now tasked with doubling down on his defensive principles while welcoming a non-defending star who'll shake up everything he's built to this point, has his work cut out for him.

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