Trae Young impresses Wizards audience in 19-minute debut despite lack of recent play.

WASHINGTON — Nearly 21 minutes into Thursday night’s contest, Trae Young’s introduction to D.C. unfolded in an impressive manner.

After catching a pass beyond the 3-point arc and causing his defender to leap with a pump fake, Young drove toward the basket and executed a behind-the-back fake pass to guard Leaky Black in the left corner with his right hand before switching to his left to finish with a challenging scoop layup.

The audience at Capital One Arena erupted.

It was of little consequence that the Washington Wizards were trailing by 15 points following that shot or that Young, in his debut since being traded to Washington in January, was under a 20-minute playing limit. It also didn’t matter that Young had a slow start, making only one of the five 3-pointers he attempted throughout the game, concluding with 12 points and six assists in the Wizards’ 122-112 defeat to the Utah Jazz.

In his limited playing time, Young, 27, demonstrated he possesses the qualities the Wizards have lacked since the early, healthy days of John Wall. He showcased the fluidity and playmaking skills that made him one of the most thrilling players in the league during his over seven seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Young captivated the crowd with his ankle-breaking dribbles, no-look passes, and long-range 3-point attempts.

Young likened Thursday’s game to his debut with the Hawks against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden eight years prior, recalling that he struggled to sleep the night before. He mentioned that his sole expectation for Thursday was to shake off the rust from not playing since December 27 and to regain his game rhythm.

Young created scoring opportunities for himself — whether through a pick-and-roll or a stepback — but missed open 3-point shots that he would typically have made in the past.

“I think I played decently,” Young remarked after the game. “My shots were on target. I just didn’t have my legs under me.”

In his initial minutes on the court, Young focused more on facilitating rather than aggressively seeking his own shot. Late in the second quarter, Young was open for a wide-open 3-pointer after an Anthony Gill screen, but instead of shooting, he passed to guard Tre Johnson in the left corner for an open 3-point attempt.

“Trae is such a willing passer,” forward Julian Reese stated. “Just being that much of a scoring threat while also being a willing passer is rare among guards in this league.”

In what could have been the highlight of the game, Young delivered a precise pass to Bilal Coulibaly, who was racing up the right side of the court on a fast break. However, head coach Brian Keefe had called a timeout just as the ball left Young’s hands.

“He caught me too quickly. He threw that too quickly,” Keefe said. “That ball left his hands right when I was calling it. I was like, ‘oh, man,’ but those things happen.”

While Young displayed moments of his usual self on several plays, it was evident that this was his first game in over two months and his first game with his new Wizards teammates.

Reese, who signed a two-way contract last week, mishandled a few of Young’s entry passes off pick-and-rolls, which have been a staple of Young’s career. During a fast break in the second quarter, Young found Johnson wide open in the right corner, but Johnson missed. Earlier in the game, Young attempted a behind-the-back pass to Coulibaly that sailed into the first rows of the stands.

“I’m getting to know these guys, and they’re learning about me as well,” Young said. “I anticipate there will be times when they have some ‘oh s—‘ moments, like when I’m wide open and they receive the ball unexpectedly.”

Trailing 67-49 at halftime, the Wizards seemed to address some of their misses and errors in the second half.

In the third quarter, Young made a backward pass to a trailing Johnson for a 3-pointer, and shortly after, he executed a nutmeg pass through Blake Hinson’s legs to forward Anthony Gill, who scored on a contested shot. On a fast break late in the quarter, Young found Bub Carrington in the left corner for a wide-open 3 that narrowed the score to 87-77.

Young, who played 19 minutes through three quarters, did not participate in the entire fourth quarter.

While the Wizards are likely to refine their offense in the coming games, the defensive aspect presents a different challenge. Young, who stands at 6-foot-2, has historically faced difficulties on defense, and he was targeted on Utah’s opening possession, frequently being involved in pick-and-rolls and layers of ball screens that led to open baskets.

Overall, the Wizards struggled with transitional and 3-point defense. They provided minimal rim protection, and their perimeter defense allowed numerous open looks for Jazz shooters, who converted 15 3-pointers.

“We had difficulty controlling the dribble tonight. I thought that was the main issue, dribble penetration, getting to the basket,” Keefe commented. “I thought we scored reasonably well. It was just the penetration, with [Isaiah] Collier and some others getting downhill. We didn’t protect off the initial drive, and our shell wasn’t tight.”

Young has endeared himself to Washington fans and his teammates since his arrival. Since being acquired in January, he has donned the jerseys of notable stars who have played in the nation’s capital over the years, including Wall, Georgetown’s Allen Iverson, and the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin.

During the team’s game against the Houston Rockets on March 2, Young was ejected from the bench after stepping onto the court to argue with a referee during a confrontation between Washington guard Jamir Watkins and Rockets forward Tari Eason.

“I knew I wasn’t going to get ejected tonight while I was playing,” he remarked.

This marked only Young’s 11th game of the season after injuries to his right MCL and quad limited him to just 10 games in what became his final season with the Hawks.

Following his first game with Washington, which resulted in the Wizards’ seventh consecutive loss and dropped their record to 16-46, Young is already eager to elevate his new team to greater achievements.

“I haven’t won a championship or reached the finals, but I’ve come two games away from it,” Young stated. “So I understand what it takes to get there. For me, it’s about striving for more here. I recognize that it can’t happen overnight.

“That’s why I appreciate it here right now. What we’re emphasizing is the daily habits and ensuring that we’re improving every single day, whether in the gym or not, you can enhance yourself, and whether it’s your body or your mind. Those daily habits are intended to lead us to hopefully achieve long-term success.”