Trae Young made it crystal clear he's not the problem after another dominant game

The Atlanta Hawks returned to action Friday night at home against the Miami Heat, where they lost 126-111. They have now lost five games in a row, with little room for error moving forward.

Both teams were desperate for a victory. Coming into Friday night’s matchup, the Hawks and Heat had only won two of their last ten games. With the Eastern Conference standings being as even as ever, a matchup between two division rivals carried plenty of weight. 

Miami entered the game down two of their best players. Tyler Herro missed his sixth consecutive game due to a right foot injury, while Bam Adebayo was a late scratch due to lower back soreness.

Atlanta's Trae Young recently returned from a prolonged injury to his right knee. His minutes have been slowly ramping up as he gets more comfortable on the floor.

Young has been excellent despite the Hawks' lackluster record

Since making his long-awaited return, Young has been shooting the ball extremely well. Friday night against the Heat was no exception.

Despite the loss, Young's flame was still lit. He had yet another 30-point effort while contributing 6 assists and knocking down five threes. He did all of this in only 32 minutes, the fourth fewest among Atlanta's starting lineup.

He began the night with no hesitation in his shot. Young knocked down consecutive three-pointers in the first quarter, extending his point total to nine and keeping his team right in the mix. After a scoreless second quarter, Young picked it back up in the third, scoring 14 points and once again knocking down two triples. He got to the line on three separate occasions in the quarter, dictating Atlanta's offensive flow.

The final frame wasn't as competitive as Hawks fans had hoped for, but Young's offensive output kept the team afloat for as long as it could.

Young has never been able to find stable success against the Miami Heat. Over the duration of his career, Erik Spoelstra has found ways to stabilize Young’s electric offensive game, providing a blueprint for the rest of the league. 

In 23 career regular season games against the Heat, Young is averaging 21.3 points and 9.3 assists on 39.5% from the field and 33.1% from three. 

In the 2022 postseason, the Hawks and Heat met in the first round, with Spoelstra’s Heat emerging victorious in five games. This series proved to be a wake-up call for Trae Young, who had arguably the worst five-game stretch of his career. 

In that round against Atlanta’s division rival, Young averaged just 15.4 points and 6.0 assists on 31.9% from the field and 18.4% from three. 

The loss is disappointing, for sure, but Young playing well against his former demons is a great sign for the team's trajectory.