Re-capping Trae Young’s first All-Star Game.
Even though the mid-season All-Star game is just a glorified exhibition game, it can have a lasting impact on a budding superstar in the league. For Trae Young, the 2020 NBA All-Star game was the first time that he played with fellow NBA greats as teammates. This is huge for him because these days in the league, “superstars” cannot win the championship alone. Lebron James had Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leanord had Kyle Lowry, and Steph Curry had almost everyone on his championship Golden State Warriors team.
This was the first time Trae Young was not the best player on his team and I would say he thrived. Young finished the game with 10 points and led Team Giannis with 10 assists in almost 16 minutes of play. Young also had arguably the highlight of the night with a half-court buzzer beater to end the first half.
Trae Young and Team Giannis lost 157-155 to Team LeBron, but it was definitely a win for Young. He showed that he can create shots for dominant players and not play just to pad his stats and get cheers from the crowd.
Young also led Team USA in assists in their 151-131 win over Team World in the NBA Rising Stars game on Friday. Trae finished with 18 points and seven assists and showed his ability to mesh well with other top talent.
He played alongside fellow “flashy” players for the first time with Zion Williamson and Ja Morant on his team, and still managed to stand out. He was able to show off his superior ball handling skills that Atlanta Hawks fans love him for, while also being able to compete with the future NBA Champions.
Some Hawks fans were disappointed with the lack of playing time Trae Young received as a starter on Team Giannis but the time he received on the court was priceless. Also, yes, he was eliminated in the first round of the 3-point contest on Saturday…but we all know he will make the splashy three when it counts.