Atlanta, GA — Atlanta fans were upset on draft day. After Luka Doncic was swapped for Trae Young on draft night, Atlanta fans were not too happy with the Hawks organization.
How quickly things change!
After a year of dominance from rookie Doncic, Trae Young has emerged as a legitimate contender for rookie of the year. Recently, against the Chicago Bulls, Young put up an amazing performance with 49 points and 16 assists in a quadruple overtime loss.
Young is currently third in total assists (507) in the NBA behind Russell Westbrook and Jrue Holiday. He is fourth in assist rate at 39.4. Young’s 7.8 assists per game is tied for fifth overall with Ben Simmons. He leads all rookies with 2,001 minutes played. Finally, Young is second amongst rookies in double-doubles with 21
The Hawks took on the Brooklyn Nets tonight and Young showed up in brilliant fashion.
After a rough first half, Young spearheaded a comeback for the Hawks, with a clutch three pointer with 3:30 mins left in the fourth. Young had a final stat line indicative of the season he is having. With a final day of work at 23 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, he secured his first triple double in a hard fought 114-112 loss.
“He didn’t shoot it particularly well early on but he got to the free throw line,” shared Atlanta’s head coach Lloyd Pierce on Young’s play tonight. “He’s very productive, consistent. We preach, we tell our guards to get rebounds. Two reasons to help out our bigs and we like to get out fast, let our bigs run. Anytime Trae can get a rebound it is to our advantage offensively.
Veteran player Vince Carter’s locker is right next to Trae, with a first eye view on the rookie and a storied career full of experience he had this to say, “I think he’s really come into his own. I think the slow start has been great for him. As far understanding the game, it’s tough. Point guard is tough, but he is handling it well. You can see the comfort, that tells me the game is slowing down for him. He’s in killer mode, making plays for himself and everyone else as well.
Trae had a stellar night, but was humble when asked about his performance, “It was cool, getting a triple double is cool but for me it’s all about the win. We didn’t win so I’m not happy with my performance, I could have done more.”
Trae Young is clearly the future of the Atlanta Hawks franchise and one of the best draft picks they have had in years. It will be interesting to see how his late season play will affect the voters in the race for Rookie of the Year.
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