Atlanta Hawks: 3 goals for Trae Young in the 2021-22 season

The Atlanta Hawks had a tremendous season in 2020-21 and that was thanks in large part to the play of Trae Young. In a season that the rest of the NBA did not appreciate the brilliance of Young until they saw him perform on the biggest stage this season.

Young’s playoff performance was historic but he had been on this tear since the start of the season. He averaged 25.3 points, 9.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 33.7 minutes per game which are superstar numbers, especially on a team that made the playoffs.

The Hawks surrounded Young with the right players, veterans such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, Tony Snell, Clint Capela, and Solomon Hill. This allowed Young to take fewer shots but make the rest of the team more effective.

The Atlanta Hawks season did not make it easy for Trae Young.

The Hawks suffered one of the most injury-riddled seasons possible and yet they still managed to finish in the fifth seed. De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish missed large chunks of the season but they were not alone, most players had a stint on the sidelines with the exception of Young and Kevin Huerter.

Then there was the coaching change that happened mid-season. Lloyd Pierce fell victim to the injury issues and his inability to overcome them. Fortunately, the Hawks had secured the services of Nate McMillan during the offseason and the transition at the top was seamless. He implemented some structure and systems to the Hawks game and the rest took care of itself.