Hawks’ Trae Young drops prediction for next season

On his birthday, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young spent time both reflecting and looking forward.

The sixth-year guard began declaring the day a “holiday,” saying he “had time today” in lieu of his typical daily affirmation. Young also shared a short video highlighting the many facets of the now 25-year-old guard’s life.

But it’s the on-court journey that Young takes on social media that should have Hawks fans excited for the next season.

After quoting a post of his high school highlights and saying he should have been ranked higher back then, he found another post to quote. This one was from the Hawks social media team and highlighted Young and Dejounte Murray becoming just the second set of teammates in NBA history to both average at least 25.0 points and 6.0 assists per game in the same season.

“Just wait and see what’s next,” Young said.

Young averaged a career-high 10.2 assists last season, while James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers led the league with 10.7 per game across 58 appearances to 73 for the Hawks star.

Murray – who shares the same birthday – has talked about how his first season with the Hawks was challenging, going from earning All-Star honors as a point guard in 2021-22 back to playing off the ball in Atlanta last season.

But both players have spoken positively about building upon their encouraging start, and they have pointed to head coach Quin Snyder as a key to their partnership being successful.

“Bringing Quin in halfway [through the season], I think, is a game changer for us,” Young said on the ‘From The Point by Trae Young’ podcast on June 1. “Just from what he brings like his mental and just him being a real teacher….He teaches everybody. From the coaches to the players all day, and he’s always talking during practices.”

Young also took a rough guess at his average assists for next season, suggesting 11.0 per.

Young led the league in total assists for the second year in a row and also led the NBA in total points in 2021-22. The former No. 5 overall pick in 2018, Young is a two-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA selection.

Watching the Hawks could get complicated this season

Fans won’t want to miss what Young, Murray, and the Hawks do this coming season. But things currently sit in limbo on how they will be able to do so according to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. Diamond Sports Group – the parent company of Bally Sports which broadcasts the Hawks’ home games – filed for bankruptcy in March.

Despite that, they made their scheduled payment to the Pelicans, offering a glimmer of hope.

There is a catch, though, as Friend also notes that DSG owes $40 million to each team – $560 million in total – which has led to some “consternation” over whether or not those payments will be made.

“Of the 15 teams with Bally’s contracts … most are not scheduled to receive payments until Oct. 1 or Nov. 1,” Friend wrote on September 18. “According to sources, the NBA has assured teams that, in the event of any non-payments from Diamonds, all games will be streamed through the NBA App.”

The Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, and San Antonio Spurs could all still need to find TV partners.

The preseason tips off for the Hawks on October 10 and their first regular season game is on October 15.