Trae Young, with the Atlanta Hawks, has had an incredible start to his NBA career with a phenomenal rookie season and an even greater second year. He has made some incredible accomplishments so far averaging 29.6 points per game and 9.3 assists per game. This puts him that much closer to being a rightful candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year. Nevertheless, Trae Young still has a lot of work to do if he wants to help lead the Hawks to a championship win.
The Atlanta Hawks played a 67-game season and only came out with 20 wins, giving them the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are currently still in their rebuilding process, but had hope for the 2019-20 season having Young, Collins, and Capela as their central core. Unfortunetely, momentum abruptly ended when John Collins was suspended for testing positive for a growth hormone, which violates the NBA’s Anti-Drug Program. In addition to the unfortunate news of losing Collins, they also made a trade for Clint Capela from the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately he was added at the deadline and did not get a lot of games in, but is a great addition to the Hawks and offers playoff experience, as well.
One of the most crucial improvements the team needs to achieve is their defensive play if they want to make it to the playoffs next season. They finished the 2019-20 season with the third-worst defensive rating of 114.4. Trae Young needs to improve on his defensive skills as well if he wants to help turn the team around. Even though he is an all-star on the offensive end, he will need to really condition himself during the off-season to turn his defensive play around and help lead his team to the playoffs. With the help of defensive players De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and the addition of Clint Capela, there will be more security on Trae Young’s defense to better help the team make the comeback they have been longing for. The young players that make up a majority of the team have a chance to turn their defense around as they mature and grow, which brings promise to the Hawks for next season.
Trae Young has certainly proven his abilities on the court with a very impressive rookie season, and an even greater second season where he became fourth in the league in scoring and assists as well as becoming a starter for the NBA All-Star game. Not only has he been able to prove to us what a new-age point guard looks like, but he has also impressed the world with his commitments off the court. Giving back to the community with his generous philanthropy gestures to help cancel medical debt in Atlanta is the perfect way to use his platform for the better and allows his fans to get a glimpse of what kind of person he is aside from basketball.
Young is still a work in progress and must learn to not only concentrate and focus on his offensive skills, but also to work towards being a better defensive player if he wants to lead the Hawks to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. He has to learn to not let his opponents score on him and get by him so easily. He may have extra defensive help next season from his teammates, but still must continue growing and training to become an overall great player offensively and defensively. Being the young player that he is, Young has the drive and potential to be a better defensive player and will help finally turn the Hawks around.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
