Washington Wizards guard Trae Young takes center stage in his expected debut Thursday against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena.
Game info
When: Thursday, Mar. 5 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass
Injuries: For the Wizards, Kyshawn George (elbow), Tristan Vukcevic (thigh), Jamir Watkins (ankle), and Anthony Gill (illness) are questionable, while Anthony Davis (hand, groin), Cam Whitmore (shoulder), Alex Sarr (hamstring), and D’Angelo Russell (not with team) are out.
For the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen (hip), Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), Walker Kessler (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic (nose), and Vince Williams Jr. (knee) are out.
What to watch for
Two words, nine letters: Trae Young. Washington hoops fans can catch their first glimpse of Young playing in a Wizards uniform since the blockbuster trade that sent the All-Star point guard to D.C. Young has successfully worked his way back from lingering MCL and quad injuries in his right leg.
Young may have been too eager to return to the court on Monday against the Houston Rockets, when Trae got ejected for straying too far from the bench during rookie Jamir Watkins’s altercation with Tari Eason. Young, thankfully, was not slapped with a suspension.
The matchup against the Jazz also carries serious draft lottery implications.
The Wizards, who enter Wednesday’s slate of games sporting the fourth-worst record in the league, can completely secure their top-8 protected pick if they finish with a bottom-4 record. Utah owns the fifth-worst record and sits two games above Washington in the standings.
The Jazz will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and may very well sit some of their few remaining key players in Thursday’s tanktastic matchup.