Soaring Down South
Fansided

Revisiting Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young’s masterful sophomore season

By Andrew Graham

CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 15: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 15, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rick Osentoski/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 15: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 15, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rick Osentoski/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Trae Young’s success did not translate for Hawks

Although Young was consistently having monster scoring nights, they did not lead to many wins on the schedule. In fact, the Hawks only secured 20 wins to 47 losses. In the seven games without Young in the lineup, the Hawks surprisingly went 3-4. However, as previously stated, the Hawks were not ready to compete in postseason play, so these results were expected for a team amid a rebuild.

On the contrary, that doesn’t take away from what Young was able to do. Breaking down Young’s performances that season, he tallied 28 double-doubles and two triple-doubles to his credit, but he also exploded with 20 games of 30-plus points, 10 games of 40-plus points, and an epic 50-point game to boot.

Along the way, Young battled injuries and struggles in some games, but those were mere bumps in the road in an amazing season. As for the results, the Hawks longest winning streak was only two in a row which they accomplished three times throughout that season.

However, that pales in comparison to the losing streak(s). After a 42-point game from Young in a win against the Nuggets on the road in Denver on November 12, 2019, the Hawks immediately went on a ten-game losing streak that lasted until a win on December 2, 2019, versus the Golden State Warriors. Only two of the games during the losing streak were one-possession games. In fact, the Hawks lost more games by 20-plus during the streak (3) than one-possession losses.

After a 15-point win on the road in Charlotte versus the Hornets on December 8, 2019, a game that saw Young score 30 points along with getting 9 assists, Atlanta once again found themselves on a losing streak—one that also lasted ten games. This time might have been worse in terms of results. They played versus the Chicago Bulls twice during the streak and lost 34 and 35 respectively during the streak.

The second game versus Chicago was the last game of the streak. Young did not play the second game against the Bulls, but losing by 35 is still an unfathomable result. During the first ten-game losing streak, Young averaged 28.8 points and 8.1 assists per game on .445/.372/.897 shooting splits. During the second streak, he averaged 27.8 points and 8.0 assists per game. You can’t point the finger at Young as he was doing everything he could to lift the Hawks to wins during that time.

Despite all the losses from that season, the young Hawks were outperforming expectations. They were expected to only win 18 games that season and they won 20 games. Although two wins are not the greatest improvement, it is still something positive to take away from such a young team. This monster season saw Young have his fair share of duels and prominent games along the way!

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