Trae Young Sets for First-Ever Hawks Matchup and Other Storylines to Note Entering Wizards' Home Pit Stop

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Trae Young Sets for First-Ever Hawks Matchup and Other Storylines to Note Entering Wizards' Home Pit Stop

Washington Wizards Guard Trae Young — Oct 26, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) brings the ball up court against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Henry Brown · Washington Wizards On SI

Wed, November 4, 2026 at 5:54 PM UTC ·

7 min read

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Most of the primary starting Washington Wizards have given fans plenty of reasons to tune into their every outing, and that's with just two weeks of development to build off of.

Anthony Davis is approaching his All-Star numbers of old with averages of 23 and nine. AJ Dybantsa looks plenty-worthy of this past draft's top selection spot with 19 nightly point through three appearances. Even Kyshawn George has shaken off a rusty start with back-to-back appearances collecting four 3-point makes. But with these Wizards' first matchup against the Atlanta Hawks up next, all eyes settle on Trae Young as he prepares for an emotionally-charged meetup.

He has plenty to play for with a rare appearance in front of D.C.'s home crowd, with the team returning right back to the road afterward for a four-game trip after their hosting of the Hawks. On what he, as well as a few other key contributors, have to offer the Wizards' first of two Hawks contests this week:

Young's Strange Terms of Dismissal

Young once captivated the NBA viewing audience with his heroics in the 2021 playoffs, taking his Hawks all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in just his third year in the pros. But each passing season of first-round-and-outs began burying the middling franchise's moment in the sun, leading Atlanta's management to dump their 4x All-Star amidst an injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign.

Former Atlanta Hawks Guard Trae Young — Apr 2, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It seemed as if they didn't want or need him anymore between the 10 fleeting appearances he made alongside that iteration of the Hawks, and Atlanta's logic sure seemed to check out following his ejection. They won 28 of their 43 post-Young games to clinch the conference's sixth seed, while the former organizational cornerstone spent all but five games down the stretch "recovering" on Washington's bench.

But the Wizards never had last season's win-loss record in mind when facilitating the move. They angled to move Young into a less-dominant on-ball role as a part-time playmaking mentor to guide Washington's bevy of still-developing guards and wings. While the Hawks have returned to their middle-of-the-road ways at 4-4, Young's Wizards are beginning to resemble a real threat behind all of the pieces the guard's begun empowering now that he's back to leading the game in assists .

Even if he's still yet to tap into the improved shooting efficiency he enjoyed four or five years ago, his place within the institutional trajectory that Washington chose will be on full display against the Hawks' own preference for an egalitarian offense. Between Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and a few familiar faces, they've returned back toward something presently-formidable themselves.

On Those Familiar Faces...

Right behind the Hawks' lone All-Star and the reigning Most Improved Player, respectively, in the nightly scoring column stands CJ McCollum as the third-leading bucket-generator.

The Wizards know him well as a handy veteran presence who's still capable of sinking shots at his favorite spots on the court, with his first-round scare against the New York Knicks reminding all involved that he's still full-prepared and willing to empty the chamber in a big game.

He saw the Wizards twice last season following his midseason rerouting to Atlanta as the centerpiece of the Young return package, but McCollum's yet to return to Capital One Arena since winning his final on-court Wizards appearance . He'll surely receive a boisterous greeting, as will his fellow swap victim in Corey Kispert .

The Wizards' 2021 draftee hasn't enjoyed the same career revitalization as the senior guard since switching cities, as he's averaging a mere 8.5 minutes per game to start season no. six. Despite currently leading the league in 3-point percentage with a 61.5% clip, his 7.5 points in nearly as many minutes haven't yet proven enough to endear himself to the staff at his new stop.

Atlanta Hawks Forward Corey Kispert — Sep 28, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) poses for a photo at media day. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He was dealt a tough hand in getting drafted to D.C., never witnessing a playoff game before getting shipped off to the Hawks last January. Regardless of the various contexts he endured between the latter Bradley Beal years and the dark ages of the early rebuild , he's still averaging over 38% from behind the arc for his career as a shooting specialist.

Having just enjoyed his first double-digit minute outing in a win over the Pacers, the seas may part for a showdown between the WizKids and several of their former vets.

Going for Recent History

The Wizards won their third game before December against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, a seemingly-simple accomplishment given just how much of November remains between now and the following month. But this is just where the last few rebuilding rosters usually began publicly stumbling; they hadn't done so in three years, usually having already endured an embarrassingly-long losing streak just as the leaves begin to turn.

Washington Wizards Center Alex Sarr — Feb 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) looks up during a free throw against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The recharged roster has the chance to wipe out another cringe-inducing number against the Hawks. After having had to wait until spring to enjoy three consecutive wins over those last two loss-filled campaigns, they could secure a third-straight victory tonight just eight games into the fall.

The Hawks, as per usual, have avoided easy-out status. Their rating stats all rank them among the NBA's middle-class, as they, too, have yet to fully-straddle the line between feeding the expectant old-timers and the up-and-comers. They have the hustlers to absolutely punish the Wizards on the offensive glass and enough perimeter stoppers to make Young's life tough as a pick-and-roll operator, but few wings and bigs have slowed Davis, Dybantsa and George over their strong weeks.

If Washington's defensive burst exhibited in the Orlando showing can return in full effect, three-straight wins seems entirely attainable given the amount of talent they have to ride. But should the Hawks clean up on open threes, burn the Wizards in transition and beat Davis up under the basket to steal any and all second-chance opportunities, a return to .500 could certainly be in the cards.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/wizards/onsi as Trae Young Sets for First-Ever Hawks Matchup and Other Storylines to Note Entering Wizards' Home Pit Stop .

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