Trae Young has been a breakout star for the Atlanta Hawks this season, and he’s just getting started. There is no team in NBA history that ever won 60 games without having even one player average better than 20 points per game. If Trae keeps playing like this, it will be very difficult to keep him off an All-Star roster next year.
The “hawks nba” is a team in the NBA that has been on a tear lately. They have already won 11 games and are looking to make it 12. The Hawks have made some notable changes and this has allowed them to be more competitive than ever before.
Only a few weeks ago, Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk took the unusual decision to openly disclose that his team’s roster had been messed up. With the exception of Trae Young and Clint Capela, the NBA was informed shortly after that Atlanta’s entire roster was fair game.
But trading Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks has been Schlenk’s sole move thus far to go off track. And, given the Hawks’ current form, it’s possible that it will stay such.
On Feb. 3, Young and the Atlanta Hawks defeated the NBA’s top club, the Phoenix Suns. Trae and the Hawks are healthy and on the rise, and their most recent victory should send a message to the rest of the NBA that Atlanta is back.
Trae Young scored 43 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a victory against the NBA’s greatest club.
After earning a foul on a shot against the Phoenix Suns, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks reacts. | Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
The Suns were the last club in the NBA to reach double digit defeats after Atlanta’s victory.
Despite the loss, Phoenix still has the best record in the NBA at 41-10 and leads the Western Conference standings by two games over the Golden State Warriors.
However, Trae scored 43 points, the Hawks made 20 three-pointers, and the club won 124-115, snapping the Suns’ 11-game winning run.
“I guess I just grew up watching these situations and fantasizing about being in them,” Young told ESPN. “The league’s top squad with the best record….” These are my favorite times.”
Phoenix didn’t have a bad game. Chris Paul’s reign as the Point God continues, with 18 points, 12 assists, and zero turnovers. Mikal Bridges scored 24 points to Devin Booker’s 32 points.
Cam Johnson (13 points), JaVale McGee (12 points), and Jae Crowder (12 points) all scored in double digits for the Suns (10).
Atlanta and Young were just superior.
CP3 said, “It was a constant dosage of Trae.” “Trae is simply a rough guy.” He’s a handful if you monitor him on a nightly basis.”
The Hawks, on the other hand, are at their finest when Young isn’t blazing from 30 yards on every possession. Last season, Atlanta received contributions from everyone and everywhere on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s what occurred against Phoenix, and it’s what the Hawks have been doing for the previous two weeks as they get back on track.
Atlanta is resuming its form from last year.
Trae, of course, got his, but he also had a lot of assistance from the rest of the group.
Six Hawks players scored in double digits. Young had the most points, but John Collins had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 3-for-5 from three.
Kevin Huerter scored 19 points on five three-pointers, while De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta’s X-factor when healthy, contributed 13 points.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 11 points and six assists off the bench, while Danilo Gallinari had 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Phoenix’s head coach, Monty Williams, said his squad isn’t accustomed to getting outscored so blatantly as it did on Feb. 3.
“Any team scoring 100 points on us after three quarters is not something we’re accustomed to,” he remarked.
The victory versus the Suns, on the other hand, wasn’t a fluke. Atlanta has won eight of their previous nine games. In less than a week and a half, the Hawks have jumped from 12th to 10th in the Eastern Conference. They’re just four games behind the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets, who are missing MVP contender Kevin Durant at the moment.
Atlanta ranks second in the league in scoring and leads the NBA in three-point percentage (an essential sign of a team’s success) and field-goal percentage over the previous nine games.
The club is also ranked fourth in defensive rating and boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of more than 2:1.
On both sides of the court, the Hawks are playing efficient, high-level basketball. That’s what brought them to within two victories of the NBA Finals last year, and it’s what’s keeping them in the hunt this year.
Trae and his team are attempting to demonstrate that last year was not a fluke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9At12 dt7Q
*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden} html,bodyheight:100% img,spanposition:absolute;width:100% ;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyhe spanheight:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow
According to ESPN, the Hawks must now utilize this victory as another stepping stone to go back to where they were at the conclusion of last season.
“We have to utilize this as a springboard,” Young remarked. “This is a significant victory for us.”
A victory against the league’s top club on the day of the trade deadline would undoubtedly qualify for both “momentum” and “a huge win.” Beating the Suns has to be a confidence booster for Atlanta, as it puts them one victory closer to securing a better Eastern Conference playoff berth.
Is anything going to change for Schlenk and the front office now? Will the Hawks be active in the week leading up to the trade deadline? Are there any enhancements that might help the squad not just in the regular season but also in the playoffs?
Is this current run of form indicative enough that the squad has what it takes to return to contention for an NBA title?
NBA.com provided all data.
RELATED: 5 Names Every Basketball Fan Should Know About the NBA Trade Deadline
Related Tags
- trae young salary
- trae young career points
- trae young stats
