The Atlanta Hawks are the worst defensive team in the league this season with Trae Young on the floor and a top-five team with him off. If the Hawks are going to compete, Young must address this problem immediately, or he’ll face being used as trade bait for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Young has improved his effort on the defensive end over the years, but he is still a clear negative on the defensive end. Team have such little respect for his defense that opposing GMs deem him a negative-value contract despite being a world-class offensive player.
It’s not over for Young in Atlanta. He will be re-evaluated for his MCL sprain soon and is expected to return to the floor before the New Year. But the clock is ticking.
Can the Hawks reintegrate Young while maintaining an elite defense?
Teams have created elite defenses around players like Young, most notably the Golden State Warriors. While Steph Curry is taller and sturdier than Young, the two are both clear weaknesses in one-on-one defending.
The Warriors made up for his deficencies by surrounding him with elite, switchable defensive talent. Likewise, the Hawks just added the final pieces to form their elite defensive core in the past year with Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Jalen Johnson has struggled on defense this season but should return closer to his glory days when Young can shoulder the offensive load.
The Hawks also must help Young by giving him a starting lineup capable of surviving on defense. Kristaps Porzingis must be staggered with Young, as the two present a pair of pick and roll liabilities that is impossible to overcome. The team can survive for spot minutes against bench rotations in the mid-late first quarter, but the Hawks are setting both players up for failure by starting them together. Alternatively, Onyeka Okongwu and Mo Gueye are mobile bigs who are a much better fit with Young.
Still, it comes down to Trae to solve this problem. He has been a defensive liability all of his career, and there are five recent All-Stars up for grabs in the trade market. If he does not prove beyond reasonable doubt that he can be a part of a title-winning defense, GM Onsi Saleh will consider retooling for the Jalen Johnson era.
Curry fit into an elite defense by giving his all and embracing intellegent team defense. Young has a similarly great basketball IQ and has the quickness to fit into an aggressive switch defense. Now he has to prove it.