As usual, Trae Young made no bones about it.
Like many fans, the Atlanta Hawks star quickly found something amiss about the ballyhooed “fight” between YouTuber-turned-semi-professional boxer Jake Paul and legendary fighter Mike Tyson aside from the 31-year age gap between the two participants.
Tyson’s training videos offered more action from the former heavyweight champ than the actual “fight” despite pre-bout theatrics where Tyson slapped Paul for stepping on his toes.
“Mike not even swinging dawg..,” Young posted on X on November 15.
Others pointed to the former heavyweight champion’s endurance both as an accomplishment since he lasted all eight rounds at his age and as the difference in the “bout.” In the end, the sport of boxing’s reputation took a hit even if the undercard provided some entertainment.
We can all agree this was 100x better than Tyson vs Paul. pic.twitter.com/ngHXDaEu25
— Hoops © (@HoopMixOnly) November 16, 2024
There were plenty of sour opinions after the bout. But Young was commenting after a nice win for his Hawks.
It was his first game back from a one-game absence with a "lingering" Achilles injury.
“It's been like a lingering thing to start the season, so it just started feeling a little bit more uncomfortable before the last game, and sometimes you gotta stop me from myself sometimes. So I kind of got some advice that I should sit. And the basketball gods were with us, and we went up there and won and team played great.
“It was just more of a precaution thing. And, yeah, it’s something I’m going have to play through. But, yeah, tonight … it was nothing too crazy.”
He also said that he and head coach Quin Snyder’s communication is key in managing it.
“I think that's something that we play by ear and things like that,” Young said about playing shorter stretches than usual versus the Wizards. “There was a time today I asked Quin to come out. I think third quarter, I asked him to get a break. Usually times, I don't. But I just needed one.
“I think that's the communication we have and we're going to have to have going forward for me to play the whole year like I want to and then, obviously, be ready still to play in the postseason. So that's my mindset, so. I know that's his too. It's going to be like an up-and-down thing, I think a communication thing. It may be consistent at points and where my minutes are consistently the same for stretch. Then, if I do take a break here and there, it's more just communication between us two for sure.”
And just so it does not get lost in the shuffle of discussing his injury, Young’s confidence in a playoff push seems quite notable given how the season started and opinions about the Hawks’ outlook.
It helps that they got healthier beyond Young for this game
Trae Young sends strong message on Dyson Daniels
After the Hawks beat the Washington Wizards for the first time this season, snapping a two-game losing streak versus their division rival, Young unabashedly touted teammate Dyson Daniels as a candidate for First-Team All-Defense.
Young did not stop there though, explaining just how vital Daniels has been to the Hawks on both sides of the floor.
“I see First-Team Defense as many years as he wants to, as many years as he's playing,” Young told reporters on November 15. “You can see what he what he's able to do now that he has a opportunity to play a lot. Offensively he's – it's not forced on him. He doesn't have to force anything, and he just allows the game to come to him and that's what makes it easier for everybody.
“I can shoot not really good at all, and he can still go out here and play really well just because he's letting the game come to him and just playing off each other, off us offensively. And then defensively, we're just playing off him. So that's what we love from him, and we’re gonna need him to keep doing it for us.”
Young also showed his appreciation for De’Andre Hunter
Hunter – who missed both previous meetings – returned to the floor after being out since the second game of the season and dropped 22 points including going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc and 5-for-7 at the free throw line.
Hunter also snagged three rebounds while still playing strong defense, giving the Hawks another two-way threat.
Trae Young: 'You see the difference' in Hawks with De'Andre Hunter
“You see the difference in our team when we played them,” Young said about Hunter’s triumphant return. “He's a great defender, he's a tall defender. So, yeah, it's definitely tough when guys aren't able to play. But you want them to get right and get healthy so he can come back playing like he did tonight.”
Notably, Hunter came off the bench leaving Zaccharie Risacher in the starting lineup.
That could be a short-term thing as he rebuilds his stamina after such a long layoff with the injury and then the birth of his child.