Trae Young is no stranger to being disrespected. Members of NBA media have bashed him at any given opportunity, even in moments where he has done nothing wrong. The dry part of the offseason is beginning and ESPN's latest segment regarding Atlanta's point guard put this blatant bias on full display.
When all else fails, bring up Trae Young's name in a negative light and people will tune in. It is an unfair reality given how much he has accomplished in just seven years in the league. Iman Shumpert, the 2016 NBA Champion and 10-year veteran who never averaged more than 10 points per game in a season, was the latest to critique Young's style of play.
On Friday afternoon for ESPN's NBA Today, Shumpert chimed in when Trae Young's potential contract extension was brought up.
"I think back on that quote that I was talking about, when Kevin Durant said he thinks the six-foot point guard might be coming to an end," he paused, "and this is what I think he was talking about." Shumpert continued, "Yes, Trae Young statistically, what he brings to a game of basketball, I get it. At 6'2", it's tough to say, could he switch onto a five at the end of a game? Can he guard a bigger guard? What are the other things he can do besides score it? Can he make a two-guard a scoring champion?"
Shumpert’s comments are yet another completely baseless jab at Young
All of these questions could be answered with a simple watch of his game. Prominent members of NBA media have fallen victim to thinking as a group and not tuning in to what they are speaking so confidently about.
Trae Young has led the league in assists three times out of the seven seasons he has played. An unreal achievement for a 6'1" point guard who only seems to get respect as a scorer. In fact, this is not the first time this year that someone has gone on national television and disregarded Young's passing ability.
13-year NBA veteran Marcus Morris went on ESPN's First Take to claim that Young "just started passing the ball" last season. It is ridiculous that this is a common opinion and shows the damage that negative discourse has done to people's knowledge of the game.
Since entering the NBA in the 2018-19 season, nobody has more assists than Young. He has proven in the regular season and in the playoffs that he is the best playmaker in the world, and that does not appear to be changing anytime soon now that he has the best supporting cast of his career.
Along with filling up the stat sheet Young has always made his teammates better, and they have had nothing but good things to say about him. He can turn any big man into a reliable lob threat and make two-guards score at career-high rates, contrary to Shumpert's belief. Dejounte Murray had the best scoring seasons of his career alongside Young, even when the duo was about as awkward of a backcourt fit as possible.
Furthermore, Shumpert’s remarks on Young’s defense hold him to an absurd standard. There is no point guard in the league who can effectively switch onto a center. Even elite defensive small forwards don’t stand a chance against the physical paint beasts of today’s era. While Young’s defense isn’t excellent, he has improved tremendously from his early career, where he was perhaps the worst defender in the league.
The harsh truth is that the NBA media will not give Young the respect he deserves until he wins a championship, and when he does, they will act like they have been with him since the beginning. Hawks fans know what they can expect from him every night and should do everything they can to not allow this harmful discourse to continue.