The Atlanta Hawks knew what they were doing when they traded back in the 2018 NBA draft to secure Trae Young. He has shown that he is one of the best young talents to build around thanks to his incredible offensive talents.
His play has been one of the main reasons that the Hawks have been able to pull themselves out of their rebuild as quickly as they have. His superstar status is without question, creating history and being named to the All-NBA third team last season.
Young has never been out of the top five in assists and he has always led the team in scoring. While there are a few better players out there in the NBA, Young has shown the ability to both involve his teammates and take the game on himself which makes him one of the most dangerous players in the league.
So what rare commodity is Trae Young bringing to the Atlanta Hawks?
Well, on top of being very good at basketball, Young is in the minority of stars in the NBA who are not making others want to leave or making demands of management. While he may have been instrumental in bringing Dejounte Murray to the franchise but it was not done through the media.
Kevin Durant is making a mess of the Brooklyn Nets franchise, and this is saying something given how much of a mess the Kyrie Irving situation is. LeBron James has made Russell Westbrook look like a deep-bench G League player as he does not fit with how James plays.
The player who the Hawks traded to get Young, Luka Doncic, has reportedly caused a championship-winning coach and a star player to get out. In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid did not back up his teammates after the Hawks beat them and this forced a former No. 1 pick to leave. Then there is James Harden who has pouted his way out of two teams (author’s opinion).
This is not new either. Players have demanded trades from teams for years and they usually get what they want. Young is not doing any of that. He is trying to make the best of the team that the front office gives him. Except for his ankle injury in the Eastern Conference Finals, we could be talking about how he led the Hawks to a championship.
This is why players want to stay in Atlanta. This is why the Hawks are going to continue to improve over the next few seasons. Young is a superstar, hated for his talents by some but adored by Atlanta Hawks fans. This commodity and his tremendous skill will see the Hawks be a power in the East for years.