Q. You battled injury throughout good portion of the season. We saw you get into a groove when you came back from that. The ankle sprain. In and out of the lineup for you. How much would you say you were bothered by some of the stuff you were dealing with this year? What was it like playing through some of that stuff?
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like it was a little bit of a challenge I feel like dealing with it. I'd never say anything was, like, lingering. I feel like the ankle, a freak accident. I step on somebody's foot. That kind of just instantly happened.
The hip kind of snuck up on me. It wasn't something like I was doing for a week straight and I realized it was a hip problem.
Probably the biggest challenge was coming back into the lineup, where you're not playing basketball for like a week or two, then you're coming back trying to play with other guys, trying to fit in I guess. That was probably the biggest challenge.
Q. Next year you hope to have Trae Young at full health for the entire season. You'd expect yourself to be healthy playing alongside him. What about potential full season of that excites you for next season, having him as your lead guard?
TRE JOHNSON: Just take a lot off of my plate from the self-creation part. He draws a lot of attention, it's going to get me more open looks. I just got to be more efficient on what I'm already doing.
Q. Now that you've had a full NBA season, you're about to put in your first NBA off-season. What comes to mind in terms of things you want to work on and improve?
TRE JOHNSON: I'd say the first thing is probably getting stronger, putting on more weight, probably the first thing. After that, just more dialed in on my body, making sure I'm healthy, putting the focus on defense.
Q. The season that you just played, what is something you feel like you got a lot better at?
TRE JOHNSON: Just being able to adapt to so many different changes throughout the full year. Like coming in, coming off the bench, then starting in different lineups, things like that. Guys leaving, adding new guys to the team. Probably just adapting throughout the year.
Q. Now that you've had some time to digest your season, was there any specific moment that got to you when you realized it's different than anything you've seen before?
TRE JOHNSON: Nah, not really. The objective of it is still the same, I would say. It's just different player in front of you.
But I probably would say the biggest, like, thing was just how many times we were on the road, how many games we're playing. That's probably the biggest change, I would say.
Q. It may sound tough to believe, but we've covered Brian Keefe for about two and a half years, but don't know him all that well because he doesn't like to talk about himself. If you were to explain to the fans what he's like, how would you do it?
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like he's serious, he's serious to the point to when he's joking, it would throw you off, but funny at the same time. You got to be around him to understand it.
No, he's a serious person when it comes to basketball, especially when he's on the court. When it's a joking moment, it's pretty funny.
Q. Tough for us to believe.
TRE JOHNSON: That's what I'm saying. You got to be around him when the camera and mic's not on. He has a funny side to him.
Q. How big is the Trae Young effect in terms of helping to generate open shots for his teammates? Is that a very real thing, or is that something that we here in the media overstate?
TRE JOHNSON: No, it's for sure a real thing. It's for sure a real thing. Like, the New Orleans game, it was like you had time. You put the ball in the laces, still be open, have time to shoot the ball. It's for sure a real thing. That was not even the whole team at full health. That was just like a sample size.
I don't think it's being talked about enough.
Q. What is one skill on the court that you improved the most outside of your shooting?
TRE JOHNSON: Consistent play making or constant play making. I feel like just trying to make the right play each time.
Q. What did the Wizards do to help you improve that?
TRE JOHNSON: Just showed me clips and stuff before the game. I should have shot it or could have went and did something else with it. There was something available, like a play before, where I was just too late to see it. Help me realize it so when I'm in that same situation, I make the right decision.
Q. Asked Anthony Gill about what's the best advice he gave to some of the younger guys. His overall, to sum it up, he hopes the way how he played or how he carried himself was the best advice to give. Outside of Anthony Gill, hearing that quote, was that something you kind of looked to with some of the older guys, watching them play?
TRE JOHNSON: Yeah, I'd say AG is probably the best example of somebody that's going to do exactly what they preach. I feel like he's never told me or gave me advice to do one thing and he strayed from it at any point of the season.
But no, it's funny you say watching how he play. He a real bucket-getter, I ain't going to lie to you. Like the way he play, it's not like he's stressed or forcing it. It's just he plays so hard. The buckets fall right into his hands. Like it's crazy.
That's one thing I have been watching and one thing I'm jealous of. I seen AG score 20 points, not one time he scored is that was on his mind. It just happened. I'm jealous of that. It's funny you just said watching him play.
Q. Speaking of that, other than AG, any of the vets you looked at that you can apply some of their game to your game?
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like CJ and Khris are good examples outside of like off the court. Like in practice, not doing too much or overdoing it, still being available and fresh for the game. I feel like those are two great examples especially early on in the year of that.
Q. How do you feel about your approach on improving the defensive end?
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like defense is still a want-to thing, like an effort thing. You also can become actually good at it.
I feel like over the course of the season I got better, like, being in the right spots. Learned a whole new defensive scheme and stick to it the whole season. I feel like that was, like, my main adjustment. I feel like more of a focus going into this summer is one on one, focusing on just stopping my man, to be honest with you.
Yeah, I already understood the team defensive scheme, so I checked off partially that defensive box a little bit. Just putting the other half together.
Q. How hard is it to maintain that two-way effort over an 82-game season?
TRE JOHNSON: Like I said, it's really a want-to thing. You're not really going to have to beg nobody to go play offense. Nobody is dreading getting on offense and going to score. I feel like it's really the want to, being focused and wanting to do that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports