How did Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young respond to the All-Star snub
The Atlanta Hawks had an incredible first game back from the All-Star break against the under-manned Toronto Raptors. The Hawks jumped out of the gate early and built a 19 point first-half lead. Trae Young was tremendous in the first half, collecting 20 points, but only two assists.
The Raptors came roaring back and built a 16 point lead with less than seven minutes to go. Things looked bad for the Hawks but Young led the team with seven points in the last five minutes. The comeback was sparked by a long 3-point shot by the point guard.
Young leads all players in the NBA with just under nine points in the fourth period. He did not disappoint and nor did Tony Snell who hit the game-winner as the game clock expired. The play was set up by none other than Young.
How the Atlanta Hawks benefitted from the cool head of Trae Young.
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After the Hawks got a stop in the final possession by the Raptors, Kevin Huerter rushed the ball across the timeline. Nate McMillan promptly called a timeout. He wanted to make sure the Hawks got the best possible shot up rather than rushing a potentially poor shot.
Huerter managed to inbound the ball getting it into their best offensive player’s hands. Young tried to penetrate into the paint where he could get a good shot to tie the game. However, the Raptors walled the paint off, forcing Young to find another avenue to score.
Knowing that time was expiring, Young still had the ability to survey his options and found the NBA’s best 3-point shooter this season, Tony Snell. History will tell us that Young passed the ball perfectly into Snell’s shooting pocket and Snell hit nothing but net.
If Young had been trying to show the NBA that he deserved to be in the All-Star game because he carried his team to the win, including making the game-winner, then the Hawks would probably have lost. As it was, he made the correct basketball play and the Hawks won.
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How did Trae Young respond to the All-Star snub? He got himself into a mindset of winning basketball games, giving the team what it needs from him. When someone else got the glory for the win, Young was celebrating with him as hard as anyone. It is possible that getting snubbed for this All-Star game will make Young into an even better basketball player.