Trae Young is perhaps the most controversial star in the league, with his fans believing he’s an all-time offensive engine and his haters thinking he’s a wildly overrated shot-chucker. As the Atlanta Hawks descended into mediocrity over the past few seasons, Young’s doubters grew much louder than his fans. The dialogue surrounding him has only become more intense as Young enters a contract year.
Ice Trae, true to his name, is unfazed by the noise. In an excellent article by ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, voices around the building had nothing but praise for Young. The star point guard himself understands that this is his most important season yet, but has maintained his cool demeanor. "There's a lot of misconceptions of me," Young said. "They'll get changed over time, and I truly believe that. "And I feel like a lot of it will get changed this year."
This year would be the season where Young can flip the narratives surrounding him most naturally. After being stuck on a series of middling Hawks teams with mediocre talent, he finally has a chance to work with a legitimate playoff roster. After never having quality shooting around him, he suddenly has some of the best shooters in the league flanking him. The sky is the limit for Young this season.
Young’s confidence will drive him and Atlanta to success
If there is one thing everyone can agree on, it’s that Trae Young is confident in himself. While some would read this self-assured tone as arrogant, that is not the conclusion those closest to him have come to.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who has given a few truly insightful press remarks in his short Atlanta tenure, said about Young, "Trae has confidence. Ant[hony Edwards], Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Luka [Doncic] has confidence... But [Young] still wears a heavy burden of pressure. And he's had success through his pressure."
The last statement is what separates Young from the young, confident guards who have flamed out of the league in depressing fashion. While his confidence makes him a target, both for fans and opponents, the Oklahoma product has maintained a consistent level of individual success throughout his career.
Even more impressive, and a phenomenon Young’s haters seem to forget coincidentally, Young led a thoroughly outmatched Hawks team to the Eastern Conference Finals in his third season as a pro. The 76ers deemed their playoff loss to Young and co. so disastrous that it led them to blow up their roster, ending The Process era.
But that is all in the past. While Young is ready to attack the season, the results still must come. With his first real chance to prove all of his doubters wrong, Young has to deliver this season or risk his confidence biting him in the rear.