Atlanta Hawks: Win over Clips Provides Both Answers and Questions

Trae Young and John Collins are capital-S Special

Young’s box score from the game jumps off the page, yes. But there’s one stat in particular that might excite Hawks fans more than any other.

Sure, he scored a team-high 26 points. Sure, he tallied a team-high 8 assists.

But a rookie point guard doing all that with just ONE turnover?

Let the M-V-P chants commence.

His frontcourt buddy John Collins continues to be a wrecking ball of destruction with no regard for human life. You’re at quite the stage in your basketball career when in your sophomore season a 22 point, 6 rebound outing is “just another day in the office.”

The young duo of Young and Collins, Ballers at Law, is growing up right before our very eyes.

Young has showcased phenomenal passing all season, and his long distance touch has been off and on. But each and every game he’s becoming smarter, reading and reacting to defenses, making the right pass, taking advantage of what the opponent is giving him–all with great results.

How many guys in the league–not just rookies–but how many guys in the entire league can make that play? 10? 15?

John Collins has always played with intensity, but even now with opposing teams building their game plans around stopping him, he’s still “gettin’ his.” His 22 points last night were magnificent.

Along with hitting three 3’s, he was doing what he always does–rim rockin’.

It’s not saying anything new to call these guys good.

But at the rate at which they are improving together (Hawks are 10-10 in their last 20 games)–they’re becoming capital-S Special.