Trae Young's style of play has been heavily scrutinized by Atlanta Hawks fans and national analysts, but Young responded to this criticism in his return from injury against the Charlotte Hornets.
At 3:55 PM on Thursday, ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania announced on X.com that Young would return to action after spraining his right MCL on October 29th. It was a massive announcement, as fans took to social media with a mixed reaction.
Trae has become a polarizing figure during his absence from the team, especially as Jalen Johnson averages career highs in every category. Many believe the 24-year-old should be the new franchise centerpiece, as Young has never shown the ability to fit alongside another star. But Young displayed an unselfish game in 20 minutes played against Charlotte.
He finished the game with 8 points (3/8 from the field) and 10 assists in their 133-126 loss to the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference. Even though the Hawks didn’t get the result they wanted, there were positives to take away for the long term.
Young’s pass-first approach was evident in this game, as he tried to get his teammates involved from the first minute. Unfortunately, the Hawks shot 48-92 as a team, so Young’s effort was in vain. They were 11-37 from three, compared to the Hornets, who made 24 three-pointers, with 18 of them coming in the first half.
Critically, Young only took eight shots, converting each of his three attempts inside the arc while going 0/5 from deep. This allowed a for monstrous performance from Johnson.
Trae moved off the ball to give Johnson more time to work, which led to Jalen scoring 43 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out nine assists. Both stars nearly recorded 10 assists on the same night in a loss where the team underperformed from the field, which is an intriguing combination of skillsets in this modern NBA.
Trae is still in the recovery process
Young and the Hawks must have a short-term memory as they prepare for the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. Victor Wembanyama and his trio of guards will undoubtedly give the Hawks a test coming off their loss in the NBA Cup Championship. Now that Young is back, they’ll have a higher probability of victory moving forward.
Fans will see his name in the rotation, but it will take time for the 4x All-Star to feel 100%. In the post-game press conference, Head Coach Quin Snyder expressed the importance of reacclimating Trae to the pace of an NBA game.
“I think, as I said the game before, it’s going to be a process for us, for everyone to get acclimated, for Trae to continue to get in shape, all the different things that are required when you put a group together,” Snyder said. “ It’s good to have that first step in the process and be able to look at it to try and find ways to get better.”
It’s going to be a process, indeed, and as of December 19th, the Hawks are 15-13 and the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference. They’re still adjusting to this roster, and now their offensive engine has returned, which is a massive step in the right direction.
This roster was assembled for Young’s playmaking, and now he has the chance to learn about his teammates in real time. They’re still finding their identity, and now they can really get to work, with a massive piece of the puzzle filled in.