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Atlanta Hawks: Can Trae Young’s breakout performance spark the Hawks?

By Daniel Outerbridge

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 16: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Wells Fargo Center on June 16, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 16: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Wells Fargo Center on June 16, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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Can Trae Young’s breakout performance against the defending champions spark the Atlanta Hawks? 

Trae Young led the Atlanta Hawks to a much-needed victory over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks with his red hot shooting as he scored 42 points to go along with 10 assists and eight rebounds as he went 8-13 from behind the arc good for 61.5 percent.

Young came out very aggressive and set the tone early in the 1st quarter as he knocked down four 3-pointers in a row to begin his scoring assault. Young also showed off his spectacular range as he knocked down a shot from the Hawks logo late in the 2nd quarter. All night long Ice Trae took advantage of the mismatches that were created on the switches as defenders could not figure out how to cool him off.

The win improved the Hawks record to 5-9, and while they are off to a slow start, this just may be the spark this team needed to get them going in the right direction. The win ended a 6-game losing streak for the Hawks as they lost those games by a margin of 11 points.

If the Hawks want to continue to win, they will need Young to keep playing at this elite level as they have the potential to be a top team in the Eastern Conference as we saw during last season’s playoff run. It seems like Young is beginning to heat up at the right time as he has averaged 31.6 points, 9.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from downtown and 88 percent from the charity stripe.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, Young joined elite company as he recorded his 17th 40-point game as he tied Kevin Durant and LeBron James for 3rd most by a player in his 1st 4 seasons since the 1976-77 NBA-ABA merger.

Michael Jordan is 1st with 62 and Shaquille O’Neal 2nd with 21. Young also joins LeBron James, James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook as one of five players to have 40-plus points, 10-plus assists, 8-plus rebounds, and 8-plus 3-pointers in a game in NBA history.

Young has the opportunity to be special if he can continue to transcend his game and get some W’s in the win column for the Hawks. Let’s not forget that this kid is only 23 years old. What really makes him an elite point guard besides his ability to score at will and ability to shoot from anywhere on the floor is his ability to feed his teammates putting them in a position to score and have success also.

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Just look at the passes and lobs he gives Clint Capela and John Collins. Young’s basketball IQ is highly underrated by opponents and when combined with his skill set, he can freeze defenses on any given night. Guess that’s why they call him Ice Trae.

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