Two years ago if the Atlanta Hawks were without John Collins and Trae Young scored four points they would have been in trouble. Even last season, especially playing the game which was going to keep their season alive, you would have been sure that the other team was going to be way ahead, or the scores were close.
Well, against the Charlotte Hornets who are a decent team, this was exactly the scenario. Young had four points in the first period and Collins is still sitting on the sidelines and yet the Hawks led the Hornets at the end of 12 minutes 32-23. Young played all 12 minutes of the quarter.
Usually, at this point, someone will bring up the point that Young would set his teammates up to score. The superstar point guard only had two assists for the quarter. While no other player had more than one, it shows that there is now something about this team that cannot be ignored.
The Atlanta Hawks still need Trae Young though if they are going to succeed
So, how is it that Young had such a low level of production and yet the Hawks were still plus nine when he was on the court? The answer is pretty simple, the rest of the team has developed their game and is showing a tremendous amount of maturity as a whole.
First, we will unpack why Young’s numbers were so low. He was trapped pretty much as soon as he crossed the timeline and it was usually with a double team. The thing is, once he gets rid of the ball, that is Young’s job done. Yes he is the point guard, yes the team revolves around him, but it is up to the rest of the team to have his back when he is trapped.
To Young’s credit, despite all the extra pressure on him, he turned the ball over only once. Three other players made the Hornets change their defense after the first quarter so that Young could stamp his influence on the rest of the game.
Clint Capela came out of the blocks early, collecting eight points and six rebounds, two offensive. Kevin Huerter also found himself wide open thanks to the double teams on Young and had nine points on 3-of-3 shooting. Bogdan Bogdanovic then came off the bench and hit five points in six minutes. If it is not these guys then others are stepping up as well.
As we all know, basketball is a team game and it is very rare that one player can do it all. The narrative around Young is changing and teams are respecting his game so much that they are changing their own games to defend him.
This is where the maturation of the rest of the Atlanta Hawks as players and as a squad is going to take them places. Let us hope it is a run even better than last season’s playoffs.