Atlanta Hawks: 3 keys to the stunning Game 7 victory
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has continued to find ways to come through
It probably needs to be discussed more, but when players score is just as, if not more, important than how much they score on any given night. Young’s Game 7 performance highlighted exactly that. While he struggled to shoot the ball, he still managed to end the night with 21 points, matching his low-bar for the postseason.
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He averaged 30 points per game for the series.
That goes to show how prolific Young has been scoring the ball but he also went to work late in Game 7.
He started going just 1-for-12 from the floor and 1-for-7 from three in the first half. But he went to the line seven times, hitting six of his free throws and ending the first half with nine points. He started the second half quietly with just two points in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, though, Young took over with 10 points, finishing just behind Embiid for most in the quarter. He did it in a variety of ways too, shooting 42 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from three, and hitting 3-of-4 free throws.
His steadiness despite his struggles throughout the night is a great sign and further evidence that he was built for the big stage.
We can’t overlook his work as a passer either. Young had nine of his 10 assists through three quarters and did most of his damage in that aspect to start both the first and second half. He had four assists apiece in the first and third quarters.
Young will see one of the game’s best perimeter defenders in Jrue Holiday in the next round. He just needs to continue doing what he’s been doing all postseason and the Hawks can win.
Next. Atlanta Hawks: 4 players who can still heat up during the postseason. dark
We’ll go into just how they’ll go about that at another time. For now, let’s just enjoy this feeling.