WASHINGTON D.C. — The Washington Wizards still haven't fully unleashed rookie guard Tre Johnson as he heals from his hip flexor injury, but he's making them look smart for drafting him anyway. The 19-year-old scored a career-high 24 points (9-12 FG, 5-5 3-point) with one rebound, two assists, and one steal over 25 minutes during their 115-101 home loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

Johnson spoke about how he maximizes his playing time postgame.

“Just taking what's given to me,” the 2025 No. 6 overall draft pick said. “Trying to play off my teammates, create open shots for myself moving off the ball, and finding little ways to score to be honest.”

One of the ways Johnson scored was by making logo threes, showing limitless range akin to shooting savants Steph Curry and Damian Lillard. The former Texas Longhorn has routinely hit those shots over the last few games, such as this heave from Washington's 124-113 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 21:

The most exciting part for the Wizards is that Johnson is playing like this without being fully healthy. Head coach Brian Keefe revealed before the Suns game that Johnson and second-year center Alex Sarr (adductor) are on minutes restrictions, per Locked On Wizards' Ben Strober. On Tuesday, general manager Will Dawkins spoke about why Johnson is still on that restriction despite being back in game action since their 130-126 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 12, via “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan.

“We've gotta protect our guys and their bodies. It's his first time really going into the NBA; he came into the league with an injury,” he said. “Had to monitor it through Summer League and saw it creep back up again last month, so we're going to be cautious. We're going to put our players first. The reps and the minutes all add up, they all matter. At the end of the year, hopefully [the restriction] will be lifted by then and he'll be playing a little bit more freely. But he's doing a really good job of picking his spots, being ready and being aggressive on both ends of the floor. That's the main thing, keeping those guys healthy and getting them as many reps as possible.”

Johnson's previous injury that originated in college was also a hip ailment, per The Athletic.

Johnson, who has missed seven games this season and is averaging 23.3 minutes, is unlikely to challenge his peers like Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (34.5 minutes), Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (33.1 minutes), and New Orleans Pelicans big man Derik Queen (25.8 minutes) for NBA Rookie of the Year if Washington keeps limiting his playing time. However, keeping the young sharpshooter healthy is more crucial than any award.

Based on how Johnson is playing while he's still healing, Wizards fans may be elated with his production when he finally reaches full health.

Marvin Bagley not worried about Alex Sarr

Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) dribbles the ball between Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie (12) and forward Oso Ighodaro (11) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena.
© Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
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While Johnson excelled against Phoenix, Sarr had his worst game of the season offensively. The 20-year-old scored just two points (1-5 FG, 0-2 3-point) with four assists and two turnovers over 25 minutes.

However, veteran big man Marvin Bagley III has no doubts about Sarr's ability to bounce back.

“He’s fine, he’ll be fine. You have games like that,” the 2018 No. 2 overall pick said postgame. “Not worried about it, not stressed about it. I see the work that he puts in behind the scenes. ‘Just stay with it,’ that’s what [advice] I would say. Got a lot of games left to play. Fix whatever you need to fix, and come out next game and fix those things. I’m not worried about it, you have games like that. He’s a great player, that [game] doesn’t take away from what he’s able to do out there and how he helps us. I have the utmost confidence in him coming out next game and bringing that energy and effort.”

Sarr's offensive struggles were notable given how consistent he's been at that end this season. The seven-foot, 205-pounder is averaging 17.5 points on 50.5 percent shooting (34.3 percent 3-point) with three assists and 1.7 turnovers over 28.4 minutes and has scored 10-plus points in 19 of his 22 games played thus far.

However, a young player who is still healing from an adductor ailment having a lackluster outing on the second night of a back-to-back is nothing to fret about. That's especially true for Sarr since he tallied 20 points (9-20 FG, 1-6 3-point) with nine rebounds, a career-high six blocks, two assists, and one steal over 26 minutes in Washington's 116-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

Although Sarr struggled offensively and recorded just two rebounds on Monday, his two blocks put him in the NBA history books, via Wizards PR.

“Sarr becomes the fourth player in NBA history to record 150+ [career] blocks and 100+ three-pointers prior to their 21st birthday, joining Eddie Griffin, Jaren Jackson Jr. & Victor Wembanyama,” the team announced.

That one factoid does not guarantee Sarr's continued success moving forward, but it doesn't hurt to be in statistical company with Jackson and Wembanyama, two of the best big men in today's game.

Up next for the Wizards is a New Year's Eve road date with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.