Atlanta Hawks: 4 Impressions of Unmagical 101-91 Loss to Magic
Young Gun Report: Meh
The young core left something to be desired in the loss.
Trae Young had a solid outing, though maybe not as solid as we’ve come to expect. 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting, but 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. The good news is, the rookie continues to grow and get better at impacting the game when the long distance calls aren’t falling.
Trae follows his lead blocker through the hole and drains the runner pic.twitter.com/dE8H8CxIQc
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 17, 2019
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: that floater will be haunting opponents for the next decade.
Elsewhere, fellow rookie Kevin Huerter had a night to forget. 3 points in 22 minutes with 2 turnovers and 0 assists. The guy who is normally among the team leaders in +/- finished with a mark of -16.
It’s one thing to have a cold shooting night, but the man looked lost on the offensive end. If Kevin is going to live up to his star potential, he’s gotta be able to move better off-the-ball–especially playing with a point guard like Trae.
Is Trae Young Officially a Villain?
I love this side of Trae. Talkin’ smack with opposing players is a delicate art, and you’ve got to be able to back it up with your play on the court. Luckily, number eleven seems to be at his best when he’s fired up over something someone said.
Man these scrub point guards talking trash to Trae don't realize who they're dealing with smh pic.twitter.com/5GaCFWMBce
— Soaring Down South (@SoaringDwnSouth) March 17, 2019
Are we seeing the birth of a new NBA heel? If so, I’m here for it. In a season not about the wins or losses, (okay, maybe about the losses), we as fans need to have some entertaining story lines to follow and maybe an anti-hero to cheer on. Trae’s growth into an alpha on this team has been a bright spot so far this year.