Anthony Davis finally made his Washington Wizards debut on Wednesday night — and he looked every bit the dominant force Washington has been waiting for. He dropped 34 points and 12 rebounds in a 128-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, tying the Wizards’ franchise record for most points in a debut. Fans at Capital One Arena were already chanting “MVP” before the first quarter ended. Then Trae Young said the quiet part out loud.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but for me, having a guy like that, I want to help him get to MVP,” Young said after the game. “Nights like tonight, and if we continue to win games, he’s going to be in the conversation.” That is not standard postgame politeness. That is a point guard publicly putting an MVP target on his new co-star’s back after one night together.
Anthony Davis Delivers Exactly What Washington Needed
Davis had been waiting nine months for a real game. Injuries kept him off the floor after the Wizards acquired him last season. On opening night, he looked like the two-way force that once carried title teams. He scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first eight minutes alone, finished 11-of-20 from the field and 11-of-14 from the line, and added four assists, two steals and a block.
The 34-point total matched Antawn Jamison’s mark from 2004 for the highest-scoring debut in Wizards franchise history. The crowd felt it immediately. By the time Davis scored through contact and made the free throw in the first quarter, the building was already chanting ‘MVP’.
Young finished with 20 points and 13 assists, controlling the tempo and finding Davis in the soft spots. Young had played only five games for Washington last season and had never shared the floor with Davis in a regular-season game before Wednesday. One night was enough for Young to declare bigger ambitions.
Why Trae Young’s Anthony Davis MVP Comment Carries Weight
Washington has spent years searching for relevance. The combination of Young’s playmaking and Davis’s two-way dominance is the clearest path the franchise has had in a long time. Young knows it. He watched Davis dominate in workouts and preseason and decided the ceiling is higher than most outsiders are willing to admit.
“I just knew he was going to be ready,” Young said. “He’s a top-75 player for a reason.”
For a team that has lived at the bottom of the East, hearing the starting point guard talk openly about the Anthony Davis MVP conversation after the first game of the season is a different kind of energy. It raises expectations. It also puts pressure on both players to stay healthy and keep producing at this level.
The Future Is Starting To Look Bright In Washigton
One win against a Bucks team that traded Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason does not make the Wizards contenders. But the early returns are hard to ignore. Davis looked explosive. Young looked in control. The supporting pieces — Kyshawn George’s 18 points among them — contributed. And the loudest voice in the locker room just told the league what he thinks is possible.
Young did not hedge. He did not lower the bar. He said he wants to help Anthony Davis win MVP. After a 34-point debut that already had the building chanting the same thing, the conversation just got a lot more interesting in Washington.
Trae Young Just Made a Huge Anthony Davis MVP Claim After Historic Wizards Debut