Trae Young may have been a polarizing player, but he played a direct role in setting the Atlanta Hawks up for a rewarding future. It's the unfortunate and overlooked truth about the fact that his time in Atlanta has ended after eight memorable seasons.
Young may not have been a structural fit for the lineup by the end of his time with the Hawks, but his impact on the franchise was colossal nevertheless.
Young led the Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, thus marking the franchise's second trip to the NBA semifinal since 1970. It was the type of peak that will have future franchise historians fondly reminiscing as they tell tales of one of the best seasons Atlanta produced in a span of more than 50 years.
That alone will spark conversations about whether or not Young's number should be raised to the rafters when his career concludes and the Hawks honor his contributions.
The more immediate legacy that Young leaves behind, however, is one of helping his teammates grow. It's perhaps the most underrated element of what he brought to an Atlanta side that opted to hit the reset button and commence a youth movement just as he was entering his prime.
Rather than fighting the Hawks and complaining about the path they chose, Young took on the burden of leadership and helped the franchise's new cornerstones become the players they are.
Trae Young helped Hawks' new cornerstones tap into their potential
Dyson Daniels, the Hawks' resident defensive stopper and emerging playmaker, is on record as saying that Young, "Made my life a lot easier." It's a steady theme in the comments that have been made about the Hawks' all-time leader in assists both during and now after his time with the team.
New Hawks franchise player Jalen Johnson, for instance, recently told reporters that Young helped him learn how to make the players around him better.
"Always cared about his teammates despite what everybody said. He was somebody that loved to make everybody around him better. That's one of the things that I think I learned from him."
Comments of that nature have been easy to find, both amongst the up-and-comers and the veterans. A striking example was when seventh-year guard and first-year Hawk Nickeil Alexander-Walker left no room for interpretation by stating that Young, "Is the main reason why I'm here."
It's a testament to how Young not only sacrificed his ego, but prioritized the future when he, as a player in his prime, could've fixated on the present.
The future has now arrived with Young, unfortunately, on the outside looking in. Alexander-Walker, Daniels, and Johnson are flanked by a captivating cast of players, including promising frontcourt standouts Zaccharie Risacher and Onyeka Okongwu.
As the new core embraces the reality they now live in, however, the standards Young set for his former teammates will continue to act as a parting gift that can create a brighter future in Atlanta.