The hate for Trae Young has gone too far, and it’s time for someone other than Hawks fans to raise their voice, but for now, you’ll have to just deal with my opinion.
The Ringer recently ranked the best 25 players under 25 -years-old, and Young came in tied for 15th, behind guys like Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barns, Alperen Sengun, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, and Tyrese Haliburton.
Here’s what they had to say about Trae Young:
T-15. Trae Young
Age: 25 | Top 100 ranking: 35 | Overall score: 32.8
25.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 51.6 eFG%, 54 GPReason for hope: When it comes to the failures of the Trae Young era in Atlanta, there’s plenty of blame pie to go around—but the Hawks never surrounded Young with enough size or dynamism. Then, in a last-ditch effort to salvage things, they paired him with … another point guard?! Trae’s offense is legit: He’s a genius passer with an innate sense for manipulating defenses. He just needs to curb his worst impulses and find teammates who actually complement him.
Reason for doubt: I may not be able to quit Young, but many of his former teammates and coaches have. Young’s insistence on playing his way—dominating the ball, jacking logo 3s, getting torched on defense—isn’t just grating to the people around him; there’s also little evidence that it can lead to winning basketball.
Bold prediction: Young will be traded to the Lakers this offseason, form the NBA’s most potent alley-oop connection with Anthony Davis, and help LeBron reach one more NBA Finals with L.A. —Levy-Rubinett
Okay, let’s dig into this because it’s utterly ridiculous that a walking 25 and 10 is somehow outside of the top players under the age of 25.
At 22 years old, Trae Young scored the most points in a Conference Finals debut, racking up 48 points to go along with seven rebounds and 11 assists against the Bucks a few years ago.
Out of those listed ahead of him, Haliburton is the only one to even make a Conference Finals, which he made his debut a couple of nights ago against the Celtics. His stat line read 25 points and 10 assists.
Trae Young also ranks second to LeBron James in scoring the most points in a series win by a player 22 years old or younger. The King scored 213 in a 2006 series against the Washington Wizards, while Young scored 203 points against the 76ers in 2021. Anthony Edwards ranked second on the Ringer’s list, but Ant Man came in behind Young under those same circumstances, dropping 194 points against the Nuggets this year.
Trae Young led his club to a Conference Finals, which is something only three players ranked ahead of him have done. Also, the tone in which these morons talk about Trae Young is ridiculous. Look at the difference between the way they describe Halliburton and Young:
“His play style is generous and generative. His personality is unifying. He wants to be in Indiana, and because of him, other stars like Pascal Siakam have warmed up to the idea. The most creative and willing passer in the East has the IQ to lift a high-octane offense.”
“Young’s insistence on playing his way—dominating the ball, jacking logo 3s, getting torched on defense—isn’t just grating to the people around him; there’s also little evidence that it can lead to winning basketball.”
I mean, what the hell are we even talking about? Trae Young is better in every facet of the game offensively than Tyrese Haliburton, but it’s the Pacers point guard that wants to be in a small market (Trae does too) and is the most creative and willing passer in the East (Trae averages more assists across their careers)?
Here’s the icing on the cake. “There’s also little evidence that it (Trae Young’s play style) can lead to winning basketball.” Then, this simpleton follows it up with a bold prediction: “Young will be traded to the Lakers this offseason, form the NBA’s most potent alley-oop connection with Anthony Davis, and help LeBron reach one more NBA Finals with L.A.”
The jokes write themselves. Trae Young is a generational talent offensively with obvious liabilities on the defensive end. Any shortcomings the Hawks have had in his tenure fall on the shoulders of the organization.
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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