The Atlanta Hawks continue to roll through their early schedule despite losing star point guard Trae Young to a knee injury. After a Sunday night home victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the squad is 11-7, fifth in the Eastern Conference. The team has gone 10-4 since losing Young, with the rest of the squad stepping up to fill his absence.
While the rest of the NBA community fantasizes over the possibility of Young being traded after this hot streak, Hawks fans know there is no reason for Atlanta to make such a hasty move. Instead of perusing the rumor mill, the more productive conversation centers around the long-term potential of this squad.
Arguably the most important thing this team has proven in the 14 games since Young went down is their ability to win games in a variety of ways. While this term is usually reserved for football, the versatility Atlanta has shown is a critical aspect of resilience in the NBA, particularly with a star like Young at the helm.
Trae and the rest of the team will cover each other’s backs in a poetic way
Everyone knows that, when he’s hot, there are few (if any) players better than Trae Young. The problem, however, is that Young’s playstyle leads to an inconsistent output. His love for jacking up contested shots is what makes him such a special player, but it simply cannot be relied on daily. This makes it more difficult for a team to succeed with Young as the sole driver of the offense than, say, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his bully-ball approach.
When Young’s shot hasn’t been falling, the Hawks have historically struggled. While Jalen Johnson has been on the rise for two years, he wasn’t quite capable of shouldering Young’s offensive load.
But this is a new era in Atlanta. In their victory over the Hornets, the Hawks had four players tally 20+ points: Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Charlotte had no answer for Atlanta’s all-around offensive attack, and this is just one of the many ways the squad has found victory without Young.
If Atlanta ever realizes the potential of this squad, the non-Trae crew will have to be able to will the team to victory. But if there is anything you can take away from the Trae-less stretch, it’s that his supporting cast can finally be relied upon.
The team will have to show this resilience can remain after Young returns, of course, but there is little reason to believe his return would interfere with what his supporting cast has built. If anything, they have a Trae Young-sized hole in their offense.