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Wizards’ Tre Johnson makes admission about role after tying career-high points vs. Spurs
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- Wizards’ Tre Johnson makes admission about role after tying career-high points vs. Spurs
Wizards' Tre Johnson makes admission about role after tying career-high points vs. Spurs appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Wizards own the NBA's worst record at 5-22, but the development of young players like Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington is why their rebuild remains exciting. Johnson opened up to ClutchPoints about how he's improved offensively this season after tying his career-high with 19 points (6-10 FG, 3-6 3-point) in 25 minutes off the bench during Sunday's 124-113 loss to the San Antonio Spurs .
"I feel like I'm constantly improving, trying to watch film, especially with our coaches," the rookie sharpshooter said. "Trying to do what's being asked of me, BK [head coach Brian Keefe] and all the coaches. Doing whatever I can to help my teammates."
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Johnson then explained what he's specifically improved on.
"I think I've gotten better at doing my job," the No. 6 overall pick said. "That's been the biggest thing, figuring out my role and what the team needs, and just being the best I can at that."
Johnson has been primarily used as a spark plug off the bench thus far, although he's started four out of his 20 games. The 19-year-old has already established himself as one of the team's best shooters, as he nearly leads Wizards players with at least five threes attempted per game in three-point percentage (39.6). His 5.1 average attempts trail only CJ McCollum (7.3) and Kyshawn George (5.6), and he's just 0.3 percent behind McCollum and 0.8 percent behind George.
However, Johnson also contributes in other ways. The native Texan was second on Washington with seven rebounds and led the squad with two blocks against San Antonio , and he's recorded a steal in three of his last five games.
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Johnson returned to game action on Dec. 12 after not playing since Nov. 21 due to a hip flexor injury, and he's showing why the Wizards used their latest lottery pick on him. The 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year has displayed his shooting talent all season, but now he's finding himself within their offense.
"I've seen him embrace our offense," Carrington said after the Spurs game. "We all come from teams where the offense was [centered around] us, but we've got a lot of guys that can run our system now. I've seen him really improve what he can do in that system, and he's being intentional about it."
Washington uses a motion offense that has an "everybody eats" mindset. Alex Sarr leads the team with 15.3 shots attempted per game, which is the lowest for any team leader in the NBA other than Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (15.1), New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (14.9), and Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (14.7). The ranking partially looks that way because those organizations have no superstars, and it's no coincidence that they all have losing records. But the Wizards have made it a point to get almost their entire roster involved, as 15 of their 18 players have notched double-digit-scoring games this season.
Keefe told ClutchPoints on Sunday night what's helped Johnson produce since returning to the lineup.
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"Tre's a good offensive player. He's just getting used to playing with his teammates," he explained. "These are his first few games back coming off injury. It's just getting his rhythm. We're finding him in the spots where he can make shots, some actions where he can recognize it for himself, where he can come off and be aggressive. This is what this guy does. He can score."
If Washington continues to run sets for Johnson and give him 20-plus minutes a game, that'll help him stay in rhythm for as long as he's healthy.
Bub Carrington makes Wizards history while breaking out of slump
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Carrington turned in another productive outing on Sunday as well, notching 21 points (7-11 FG, 4-6 3-point) with five rebounds, four assists, one block, and just one turnover over 40 minutes. The 20-year-old is shooting 42.9 percent from the field in December after shooting 32.4 percent in October and 36.6 percent in November. He also has seven double-digit scoring games in December thus far after recording just four in October and November combined.
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Washington deployed Carrington as a lead point guard to start the season after using him as a combo guard in his All-Rookie campaign last year, but the results weren't pretty. In addition to the former Pittsburgh Panther's aforementioned shooting struggles, he had a 1.8-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio and a -12.8 plus/minus over his first 21 games. Over the last six, he has a 3.2-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio and a -2.3 plus/minus.
Despite Carrington's initial struggles, he exuded confidence when speaking to ClutchPoints after practice on Dec. 9.
"I feel like I'm adjusting well," he said about adjusting to point guard responsibilities. "And I wanna adjust to it to the best of my ability, so I'ma be a hard worker in adjusting to that. I feel like I have a natural ability to do it anyway, so it's not really an adjustment for me as much as it's just doing different things now. I want to, so I think it's going well for me."
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Nine days later, Carrington became the only player in franchise history aged 20 or younger to amass at least 1,000 career points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists, per Wizards PR. That milestone is a reminder that young players have ups and downs, but they're worth sticking with as long as they show promise.
Carrington and Johnson are making their case for being Washington's backcourt duo of the future, which could happen if they stay consistent. Their next chance to impress will be their road date with the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night.
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