Trae Young could be considered one of the NBA’s biggest mysteries.
His fans point to his impressive statistics to say he’s a top player. On the other hand, his critics highlight his numbers to argue that he’s overrated. Both sides have their reasons. Some people find his confident attitude charming, while others find it frustrating.
What can’t be debated is that he’s been a key part of Atlanta’s surprising success this season. The Hawks are in the NBA Cup semifinals and will face Milwaukee on Saturday. The other semifinal game will feature Oklahoma City and Houston, with the championship game taking place on Tuesday night.
“When we talk about Trae, the word I like to use is evolution,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder. “And every player evolves. They just evolve in different ways. He’s been an important part of our young guys’ growth and being able to elevate them.”
The Hawks haven’t had many major moments in Young’s seven years with the team. But he has a knack for rising to the occasion: eliminating the New York Knicks in the 2021 playoffs, knocking the Knicks out of this tournament to make it to Las Vegas, and now facing another chance to play for a trophy on national television Saturday.
“I feel like this team has been embracing the challenge each and every night from the beginning of the season,” Young said. “We haven’t looked too far ahead in any moment. We’re just taking it day by day. Even though early on in the season we may have had some struggles and some bumps in the road and some guys out, we stuck with the process and focused on each day.”
Here’s part of why people support Young: He’s averaging 21 points and 12 assists, a feat that only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas have done over a full season, and he’s on track to lead the league in assists for the first time.
Here’s part of why some criticize Young: Out of the 220 players with at least 50 3-point attempts this season, he ranks 189th with a 30.8% shooting rate. And among the 248 players with at least 100 field goal attempts, he ranks 231st with a shooting percentage of 38.4%.
You can choose which side to take — both have merit. But it’s clear that Young, who was frustrated about not being chosen for the USA Basketball team for the Paris Olympics, is growing and maturing.
“He’s doing a better job on both ends of the floor,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers. “Defensively he’s figured out a way of keeping himself out of actions. I know that sounds easy. That’s hard to do, and he’s brilliant at it, he really is.
He must be really studying the game on both ends of the floor, and you can see that in his play. And he’s earned the trust of his players. This team likes playing with him, that’s obvious. I couldn’t say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.”
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson agrees.
“He’s so good, man,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy, like just seeing it in person and on TV prior to me playing with the Hawks and getting drafted by the Hawks, it was crazy just watching it. A guy that’s undersized, being able to score at will, being able to make any pass at will. And then next thing you know you’re his teammate and you’re on the receiving end of those passes.
“Watching those clutch late-game buckets, it’s a joy to watch. It’s a gift that he has that’s very special and not many people have had it at that elite of a level. It’s been great being his teammate. It’s been a blessing.”
Saturday presents an opportunity. The NBA Cup semifinals are the only games on the NBA schedule for that day, and the title game on Tuesday — which doesn’t count for the regular season standings — is the only game on the slate that night as well.
Young will have many people watching him Saturday, and even more if the Hawks manage to win against the Bucks. They’re 3-1 against Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland and Boston this season and 1-0 against Milwaukee.
The potential for the Hawks is clear, and Young’s potential has always been evident too. But now, it’s starting to show.
“The narrative about me not being able to do certain things or being too mad or frustrated about certain things is — I mean, just aren’t true,” Young said.
“I think you’re just now being able to see like with the young team we have, just some of the different things we’ve been doing this year, I think just now you’re starting to kind of see it because the results are showing and we’re winning now. We’re here in this final four of the Cup, and it’s a big deal.”
