Whatever buzz was starting to build around the Atlanta Hawks after Trae Young’s brilliant second half of last season has quickly disappeared just a few months into this campaign. John Collins got popped for violating the league’s anti-drug program and was suspended 25 games, they’re in last place in the Eastern Conference at 6-24 and there have already been multiple reports about internal drama.
A few weeks ago, a report from The Athletic indicated there was frustration growing inside the locker room, and earlier this week Yahoo Sports reported that head coach Lloyd Pierce could soon find himself on the hot seat if the team doesn’t turn it around once Collins returns.
The one constant this season — well, besides losing — has been Young. Their second-year point guard has been a one-man show putting up ridiculous numbers, but it hasn’t led to much success. That trend continued on Saturday night when Young went for 47 points, in the Hawks’ 122-112 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Young had a rough night from behind the arc, going just 3 of 12, but shot 11 of 18 from two-point range to go 14 of 30 from the field overall, and an impressive 16-of-19 from the free throw line. He put up 18 of those points, and hit all three of his triples in the second quarter to help the Hawks build a double-digit lead going into halftime.
Atlanta maintained that advantage in the third quarter and entered the fourth up by 13 points, but it was all downhill from there. Despite Young’s best efforts — he scored 12 of his team’s 14 points in the frame — the Nets outscored the Hawks 37-14 in the final frame to secure the victory.
This is now the second time this week that Young has scored 40-plus points in a loss, and the third time this season. For his career, it’s happened four times, which puts him in an unfortunate category with Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. Those two legends are the only other players who suffered as many losses as Young in their first two seasons while scoring 40 points.
There are certainly some weaknesses in Young’s game. He’s a liability on the defensive end, can hold the ball far too long on some possessions and isn’t always the most efficient shooter. At the same time, it’s getting tough to accurately assess his game with the lack of talent around him, although Collins’ return should help a great deal.
As noted above, Young went 14 of 30 from the field for 47 points, while the four other starters — Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish, Deandre Hunter and Bruno Fernando — combined for 28 points on 10 of 38 shooting. Sure, that’s an especially bad night from the supporting cast, but it’s a stark example of why Young is almost forced to do too much.
