Wizards’ Bub Carrington Should Prepare for Trae Young Shift

The Washington Wizards' young guard could see a big change in his role to close the season.

Feb 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Trae Young is exactly the sort of player who'd greatly help the vast majority of the Washington Wizards' young talents.

Interior athletes such as Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly will feast on his entry passes as cutters and rollers, while more perimeter-oriented players in Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Will Riley will benefit from the on-ball gravity he demands in enjoying even more open shots than they're currently generating. Even when considering how detrimental his defense can be, his ability to make offense that much easier for the up-and-coming prospects should open up near-limitless possibilities for a fan base accustomed to the league's dingy basement.

Feb 24, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) warms up on the court before the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

He's set to make his debut in front of the D.C. crowd later this week against the Utah Jazz, and aside from a slight decrease in the amount of shots left over for the those other presumed starters, few prioritized Wizards should experience drastic shifts to their role.

That is, aside from Bub Carrington, who could be in for yet another shake-up amidst a rocky sophomore season. The on-again, off-again starter spent the first few months of the season struggling to build a consistent rotational case for himself, but his presence as a Wizards staple appears to be in jeopardy once again now that his field goal percentage has slipped back down to sub-40%.

He's at his best with the ball in his hands, as Washington's coaching staff learned when they tried using Carrington as a pure spot-up shooter. And as exciting as the occasional pull-up three is, his statistics remain a fraction of Young's, a much more gifted playmaker and multi-level scorer who'll relegate the guard right back to the bench from whence he came.

Carrington's Upcoming Escape from Young's Shadow

A comparison isn't even made to dogpile on the younger of the two shooters; even some of the league's more prolific scorers can't hang with Young's raw numbers.

Even if we look past the obvious scoring disparity, where Young overwhelms Carrington with 25.2 points per game to the career Wizard's 9.8, there's no looking past Young's 9.8 assists per game average doubles Carrington's mark on a lower turnover percentage, as well as how unafraid the even-smaller guard is to crash the paint and draw free throws. And while his 3-point hit rate of 35.1% isn't anything to get excited with, the difficulty of the shots he takes and volume by which they're attempted provide his production with more value.

Feb 8, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) takes a shot over Washington Wizards forward Tristan Vukcevic (00) during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

This is the role that Carrington should prepare for in looking ahead to the 2026-27 campaign, one where Anthony Davis will further complicate the role players' goals to remain scoring priorities heading forward. And with the combo guard embracing a third season with time-sensitive contract questions looming over all, he'll have to adapt and flourish quickly as a potential backup in remaining necessary to the Wizards' roster-builders.

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