Trae Young Won't Fix Washington's Offensive Wasteland Against Philly

The Wizards' Offensive Black Hole

Look, the Washington Wizards made a move, bringing in Trae Young from the Hawks. You gotta give them credit for trying something, anything, to spark an offense that has been, frankly, abysmal. But let's be real: one player, even a prolific scorer like Young, isn't going to magically fix the deep-seated issues that led to a 131-110 drubbing by the 76ers on January 7, 2026. Twenty-eight points from Joel Embiid and 23 from Paul George for Philly. That's a pretty efficient night for a duo.

Thing is, the Wizards' scoring problems run deeper than a single missing piece. They've been bleeding points against the Sixers all season. Philly put up 121 points on them back on December 2, 2025, with Tyrese Maxey dropping 35 points, 20 of which came in that third quarter alone. That's a team that knows how to find its rhythm and exploit weaknesses.

Can Young Bring Efficiency to Chaos?

Here's the problem for Washington: Trae Young is a volume scorer, no doubt. He'll get his points. But the Wizards haven't shown they can consistently get stops or, more importantly, create easy opportunities on the other end. You can't just trade buckets with a team like the 76ers, especially when Embiid is dropping 28 and they've got other guys like Maxey or George ready to explode for 20-plus. The Wizards' 110 points against the 76ers on January 7, 2026, still left them 21 points shy. That's a chasm, not a gap.

My hot take? Young's arrival might even make their offensive efficiency *worse* initially. There's a period of adjustment for any new star, especially one who dominates the ball as much as Young. You can't just plug and play a high-usage guard and expect immediate, seamless scoring synergy. The Sixers, on the other hand, are a well-oiled scoring machine, consistently putting up big numbers like 131 and 121 in their recent wins over Washington.

And those two losses weren't even close; the 76ers won by 21 and 19 points, respectively. Young might inflate their box scores, but until they figure out how to generate higher percentage shots and cut down on turnovers, they'll remain an inefficient mess.

I predict that even with Trae Young, the Wizards will fail to score more than 115 points in their next matchup against the 76ers.