It's only been two games, but the Atlanta Hawks are already playing better team basketball without Trae Young. The four-time All-Star has been sidelined by a knee injury that threatened to derail Atlanta's progress after a massive offseason overhaul.
The ball is moving more freely, an almost endless stream of scorers are making their mark, and a question has emerged: Is Atlanta's future truly tied to Young?
Young went down early in Atlanta's 117-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 29, playing just seven minutes before his night ended. The Hawks overcame his absence with 33 team assists to just eight turnovers, with eight different players burying a three and five scoring in double figures.
Two days later, Atlanta kicked off the NBA Cup with a 128-108 victory against the Indiana Pacers that sustained their team-oriented success.
Atlanta dished out 30 assists to just 10 turnovers against Indiana. It had seven players in double figures and even had two players score at least 20 points. Neither win will sound the alarm and lead to an immediate decision to trade Young, but it's the latest evidence of how talented the Hawks are—and perhaps how limited the need is for a ball-dominant lead guard.
As a result, the wheels must at least start turning on Atlanta evaluating whether or not Young is the ideal star for the team in place. To some degree, the discussion has already begun.
Is Trae Young really the ideal star for this Hawks team?
Atlanta made a bold decision earlier this year when it opted against signing Young to a contract extension. He's still eligible to sign on for future seasons, but the Hawks' surprising choice to leave his future in a state of flux speaks volumes it may or may not intend to.
Atlanta isn't just a team that had a massive offseason, but an organization that has invested heavily in a future that doesn't necessarily rely on Young's presence.
Dyson Daniels is 22 years of age, the reigning Most Improved Player, and a 2024-25 finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. Jalen Johnson is 23 and coming off of a campaign in which he averaged 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 block per game before a shoulder injury cut his season short.
Johnson is already picking up where he left off with averages of 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest in 2025-26.
24-year-old big man Onyeka Okongwu, meanwhile, is on pace to set career-best averages of 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.3 three-point field goals made per game. That gives Atlanta three players who are 24 or younger and already productive and positive contributors.
If that weren't enough to be excited about, Zaccharie Risacher was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, and at just 20 years of age, has a mountain of untapped potential.
Trae Young must follow in footsteps of unselfish Hawks veterans to fit
The veterans who have been brought in to complement the young core share at least one of two common traits: Unselfishness on offense and reliable effort on defense. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porzingis check both boxes, while Luke Kennard is an efficient off-ball player with low usage demands.
With this in mind, one can't help but ponder if Young's ball-dominant style offers the most ideal platform for the Hawks to build the young core upon.
Atlanta has empowered its younger players to explore their respective abilities, and each have delivered in their share of the spotlight. The ideal scenario, of course, is that they'll continue to improve as they inch closer to their respective primes.
It's unclear if anyone on the roster, Johnson included, has the ability to be a true No. 1, but Atlanta has an endless slew of options for offensive execution even without Young on the court.
Furthermore, Asa Newell was a first-round draft pick in 2025 and Mouhamed Gueye is 22 and already providing two-way value. With such a promising long-term outlook, it's fair to question if the Hawks are in an ideal position to sign Young to a max-level extension.
It's far from a guaranteed outcome, but by the time Young's extension takes hold in 2027, there's a realistic possibility that the Hawks will have outgrown his presence.