The Atlanta Hawks are, effectively, 3-1 this season when Trae Young has played, with their only loss coming by two points to the one-loss Philadelphia 76ers. Atlanta technically lost a second game in which Young played, at Miami, but that one said more about his absence as he went out with a sprained ankle in the second quarter and the Hawks never looked the same.
Young returned to the Hawks on Tuesday after missing one full game — another loss to the Heat — and picked up right where he left off, posting 29 points and 13 assists to lead Atlanta to an impressive win over the visiting Spurs. The victory runs Atlanta’s record to 3-3, and it came as at least a slight exhale after the team learned earlier in the day that emerging star John Collins will be suspended for 25 games for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2 (GHRP-2), which was announced by the NBA.
Young has been off the charts to start the season. Through Tuesday, he’s averaging 27.2 points and 8.4 assists on 50 percent shooting from three. He did this to poor LaMarcus Aldridge:
Young scored 28 of his 29 points in the second half, 16 in the final quarter, bringing Atlanta back from a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter and an eight-point hole to start the fourth. Fresh off the bench to start the fourth, he hit two threes right away and the next thing you knew the Hawks were leading. What we’re seeing from Young this season is something different than we saw in his rookie season, when he was terrific as a passer and overall scorer but was the lights-put shooter people expected he’d be coming out of college.
This season, he has been a straight-up killer, hunting his shot all over the court and from absurd distances. And he’s hitting these shots in big moments. These are not stat stuffers. These are ice-cold, team-carrying daggers. Even when he’s not scoring, he’s picking defenses apart with his handle and ability to get into the lane, and his passing is a work of art.
Check out his highlights from Tuesday night, and please pay particular attention to the first-half passes he was making before he decided to turn on the scoring valve.
Young is quickly becoming must-watch television. He’s tracking for an All-Star bid. Heck, at this point he’s tracking for an All-NBA bid. He has a monster challenge in front of him keeping the Hawks afloat over these next 24 games that Collins is out, but he’s not alone. Team president and general manager Travis Schlenk has put together an exciting, versatile roster with multiple playmakers and the ingredients for a much-improved defense.
Rookie DeAndre Hunter, who finished with 16 points and eight boards on Tuesday, continues to look terrific. Fellow rookie Cam Reddish, who represents the additional draft pick Atlanta acquired in the Luka Doncic trade that also netted them Trae Young, has struggled mightily to shoot in the early going, but he had a nice night on Tuesday with 12 points on 3-for-3 shooting from deep.
Jabari Parker — 19 points and eight boards on Wednesday — is playing really well in something of a resurgent season. Kevin Heurter is another playmaker who finished with seven points and six boards for a plus-nine off the bench on Wednesday. DeAndre Bembry made some huge plays. Vince Carter continues to legitimately contribute at 42 years old.
This is a solid team, and with upward of $70 million in cap space opening up next summer, we knew the Hawks were on a path to get back to the playoffs sooner rather than later. But what we’re seeing from them so far, and Young in particular, is way ahead of schedule. Again, it’ll be tough to tread water with Collins out, but if the Hawks can do it, a playoff berth as soon as this season, for a team that won just 29 games last year, remains a distinct possibility.
