The Atlanta Hawks are asking Trae Young to lead the team to postseason glory despite lacking the confidence to offer him a max extension, an incongruency that Dan Favale of FanSided and Bleacher Report says will doom the team.
The Hawks finally gave Young a team capable of competing in a weak Eastern Conference this offseason. Despite making long-term investments in his teammates, however, the team has declined to make the same commitment to Young.
While Young will almost certainly remain in Atlanta beyond this season, this does not change the fact that Atlanta’s star player has not inspired unwavering confidence from his own front office. At the end of the day, Young is not the “perfect” star player; he’s only made an All-NBA team once and has never seriously entered the conversation of best player in the league.
The Hawks have built a team ready to compete in spite of this weakness
This isn’t necessarily a death sentence for the team. If there is anything the Eastern Conference has proven, it’s that the importance of star power is at an all-time low. Jimmy Butler and Tyrese Haliburton led their teams to three of six Eastern Conference Championships this decade despite not being the “best” player in their playoff matchups. What the Heat and Pacers lacked in star power, they made up for in depth, shooting, energy, and team defense.
Atlanta also has the tools in place to overcome this existential problem. Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis are elite two-way co-stars who form a quietly dangerous big three. Dyson Daniels is the best perimeter defender in the league and the perfect backcourt partner for Young. Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard round out a lethal 8-man rotation full of shooting, youth, and connective passing.
In the most important of moments, however, star power is irreplaceable. Butler and Haliburton carried their teams to wins through clutch moments of brilliance that opposing stars couldn’t match. While Atlanta’s playoff opponents may have the better star on paper, few players in the league thrive under pressure like Young does.
The Hawks’ lack of confidence in Young does raise concern, but the team has done everything in its power to minimize the effects of this problem. Young is surrounded by elite talent and a beautifully constructed roster. Most importantly, he appears to be embracing a more egalitarian approach to the offense this preseason.
Perhaps Atlanta can be the team that forces the league to accept that Butler and Haliburton’s success was not a fluke, but a sign of a changing landscape across the league.