While the Atlanta Hawks are growing as a team, they still need their offensive leader Trae Young to produce if they are a chance of getting back into the playoffs. The offense has been built around the superstar but it is his talent and speed which helps him shine, even when defenses are designed by the opposition to stop him … well slow him down anyway.
To this point of the season, Young has five games where he has scored 40 or more points, including the 56 point effort he produced in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Hawks have a 3-2 record when Young scores 40 or more points.
While this is a small sample size it does show how explosive Young is. However, if we expand the sample size to include games where Young has scored 30 or more points, there is an undeniable trend for the Hawks. Summed up this trend is that the team needs Young to produce for them to win regularly.
The Atlanta Hawks have a good record when Trae Young produces
In the 23 games where Young has scored 30 or more points prior to the All-Star break, the Hawks have a 15-8 record. Given the injury issues and the Covid-19 crisis that the Hawks have endured this season, this is a pretty good strike rate.
Then, if you drill down further, when Young has a 30 point double-double the Hawks have a 9-5 record which is pretty special given how much attention that Young receives on the defensive end. Drilling down further, when Young has a 30-point double-double and shoots more than 40 percent from the perimeter, the Hawks have a 6-2 record.
Now, let’s think about this, there are very few players in the entire league who have multiple games where they collect 30 point double-doubles. in a season. Young has enough that we can drill down multiple levels and still have a good sample size before the All-Star break.
While the Hawks have been struggling this season, there is a reason why Young is playing on Team Durant as an All-Star. After being snubbed for so much, Young is changing the narrative around him by producing at such incredible levels.