Being the league’s punchline was never on anyone’s wishlist. And inside the Washington Wizards locker room, the unwanted spotlight landed with more frustration than laughter. They didn’t leave unscathed on Bam Adebayo’s 83-point night. The 28-year-old Miami Heat star exposed Washington’s loopholes. However, looking into the future, Trae Young sees a different story.

“People can laugh about us now,” Trae Young told The Athletic. “In the future, I don’t think people are going to be laughing about us.” 

The Wizards’ anger after their 129-150 loss against the Heat is valid. “It’s not something you want to be a part of and things like that, but you see everybody’s reaction and how he got it,” Young said of Adebayo’s 83-point night.

“We were all thinking the same way, how it was kind of weird, them fouling (with less than) two minutes (left) just to give him more possessions. It was a weird thing. It wasn’t very Erik Spoelstra-like. He’s an unbelievable coach and has done some great things.”

He then mentioned that Bam Adebayo scored lots of points; that’s an undeniable fact meant for history books. However, the 27-year-old couldn’t hide his skepticism about how it happened. “The way it happened and the way it went down, you see the reaction from people around the league. Around everybody, it’s kind of the same.”

The Heat big man went 20-43 FG (46.5%), while his three-point shooting landed at 7-22 for 31.8%. Adebayo buried 36-43 free throws for 83.7%. Consequently, a massive 44% of Adebayo’s points arrived from the line. Therefore, even the likes of Ime Udoka didn’t really look at the 83 points as that big a deal.

“I saw he only made six threes but 40 free throws or something like that,” Udoka said on Tuesday. “Tells the story right there and … the Washington Wizards.”

It’s safe to say that defense has been the Wizards’ biggest setback this season. According to FOX Sports, they are 29th out of 30 teams with a defensive rating of 117.8 points allowed per 100 possessions. However, the Wizards learned their lesson from Tuesday’s loss. It took them 48 hours to add the fire to the game. And despite a tight 131-136 loss against the Orlando Magic on Thursday, Trae Young and Co. emerged with smiles.

Trae Young & Co.’s optimism despite loss against the Magic

Thursday night offered the Washington Wizards a simple test against the Orlando Magic after their rough outing against Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat. They could crumble again or push back. Instead, Washington showed grit. Despite injuries and a brutal 19-point hole in the third quarter, they clawed into overtime. The comeback fell short 136-131, yet the fight finally returned.

“We played way better as a team tonight,” Trae Young told the media. “We didn’t like feeling like how we did after the last game, but that’s how you’re supposed to feel after a loss. But the way it happened, you want to come back and respond in the right way, and I feel like we did.”

Early trouble arrived, yet the effort stayed sharp. With Young steering the offense, open shots kept appearing. However, the rim refused to cooperate. Washington missed 11 of its first 12 from three. Meanwhile, the Magic raced out in transition and built a 45-36 edge.

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Now, Midway through Q4, Orlando led by 16, and the Wizards looked cornered amid injuries. Then Bub Carrington, Leaky Black, Will Riley, Bilal Coulibaly, and Anthony Gill flipped the script, hitting 12-17 shots. Next, Coulibaly banked a pull-up three with 5.8 seconds left to tie 123-123. He scored 13 of his career-high 29 in the quarter while the bench roared, and Gill even stood over Desmond Bane.

Meanwhile, amid injuries, the Wizards found joy in the Young and Alex Sarr pick-and-roll. Young floated two perfect lobs, and Sarr finished both with flair. In his third game with Washington, and about 21 minutes allowed, Young produced 15 points and six assists. Meanwhile, Sarr matched the energy with 16 points and five blocks despite his own minutes limit.

“So the way we bounced back is the way we needed to bounce back tonight. I’m just happy with the way that we did that,” Trae Young said after Thursday’s loss. Sure, the Miami Heat exposed the Washington Wizards’ defensive setbacks. But Bam Adebayo’s heroic night proved to be a lesson for them. Therefore, the trick now is simple: fight back. Hold the fort, and watch the game tilt.