Trae Young Must Prove His Worth as the Hawks’ Franchise Player, Says NBA Insider

Since their run to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2021 playoffs, Trae Young and the Hawks have experienced a steady drop-off. They were eliminated in the first round in the subsequent two campaigns and missed the playoffs last season. The guard and the franchise will look to end their downward spiral this year. If they can’t, Vincent Goodwill and David Aldridge believe the team could be forced to alter their course.

The duo dedicated the latest episode of Yahoo Sports’ Ball Don’t Lie podcast to listing players who had the most to lose and gain in the upcoming season. Aldridge named Young in his top three and said,

“I think he’s at a crossroads in his career… You look at that franchise and think, ‘Where are they going? What are they doing?’ I don’t see a plan to get them where they were a couple of years ago. So a lot more scrutiny is gonna fall on Trae.” It’s not his fault… “

“He’s an exquisite passer, a great scorer. But the question is how much do those things facilitate winning?”

He added that the Hawks will not see the upcoming campaign as a make-or-break season. However, the 59-year-old believes that they’d want Young to showcase that he can be the face of the franchise moving forward and can be the centerpiece they can build the roster around.

While Aldridge believes the jury is still out on whether Young can be the first option on a team contending for the title, Goodwill declared his verdict. He used Stephen Curry to justify his opinion about the Hawks star, saying,

“Is he a number 1 guy? I think the answer is clearly no… My question with him is can he be effective when he’s not dominating the basketball?”

“Like the one thing Stephen Curry has always had is the ability to facilitate scoring without the ball with his running about the baseline. You lose sight of him for a second, you got a problem… With Trae, you know where he is. He’s clapping for the ball somewhere,” Goodwill added.

He lauded the guard’s playmaking and ability to score big but added that his playing style is conducive only under perfect circumstances and won’t yield great results consistently. Aldridge and Goodwill concur that the Hawks would either have to go all-in and construct their roster around Young or reduce their dependency on him.

The 25-year-old has three years left on his deal. However, he has a player option for the final year, which he’ll likely decline to sign a long-term contract. Young will effectively have a year left on his current deal in 2025, which will force the Hawks to decide their future next year.