Atlanta Hawks: What does Nate McMillan see as the next step for Trae Young

There was a lot to unpack from the Atlanta Hawks head coaches opening statement on Media Day. The Hawks have been looking forward to the season starting since they were knocked out of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

We will never know what the impact of losing Trae Young for two of the games in the series thanks to a freak injury to his ankle. Young stepped on the referee’s foot which not only made him miss games but limited his effectiveness when he returned for the final part of the series.

Now, thanks to the tremendous result from last season, the Hawks franchise and their fanbase are looking to go at least one step further. This means that they are looking to get into the NBA finals and they need to do this in a loaded Eastern Conference. A big part of this will rest on Young improving and it is time to take a look at

What Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan believes Trae Young needs to do.

The Hawks coach believes that Young needs to continue to do more of the same but at the same time, he needs to grow as well. This sounds like a paradox but it is not. Young has been one of the best point guards in the entire league for the last two seasons.

The next step for Young is to make his teammates better. This does not just mean getting the ball to them for assists. It means getting them involved in the offense by guiding them, leading them to be the best version of themselves.

He brings out the best in players like Clint Capela on offense because Young has a tremendous floater which Capela’s defender needs to stop. Young showed a matured level of decision-making which meant that Capela was open for the easy bucket in the restricted area.

Young needs to continue to promote the ball into the areas which help his teammates to score. While he is always going to play in a manner that makes him hard to defend but also in a manner that makes his teammates harder to defend.