6’1″ Trae Young dapped up Julius Erving courtside before dropping 26 on NBA legend’s former team

Trae Young is a budding young star in the NBA, and tonight the Hawks showed what they were made of against the 76ers, with Dr. J sitting courtside.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks had differing goals coming into this season. Two years ago, the Hawks went on a magical run to the Conference Finals, led by a dominant Trae Young.

Yes, they did get a little lucky with injuries, but they still pulled off upset after upset to reach the Conference Finals. Last year, the Hawks couldn’t improve on their previous season and tumbled all the way down to a first-round exit.

Now, the Hawks are ready to prove they belong among the top dogs in the East. They’ve started this season well, racing to an 8-4 start, and sitting at 4th in the East.

Meanwhile, the 76ers are off to a slow start. They’re 5-7 to start the year, and the new additions haven’t shown to be as great as the team would have hoped. It’s still early, but the 76ers will need to sort their issues out soon.

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Trae Young paid tribute to Julius Erving and then destroyed his team

Before the game against the 76ers, Young found an NBA legend sitting courtside. Julius Erving, or Dr. J, was there to support the 76ers, the team he made a name with.

Young high-fived him, and then later Tweeted about it, making sure people knew the respect he had for someone of Erving’s status.

Dr. J’s presence seemed to work in Young’s favor. The Hawks guard helped lead his team to a 104-95 win. The 76ers were playing without James Harden, and they struggled to find offense without him.

Young put up a clean stat line of 26 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds. Embiid battled him hard, putting up his own 26, 2, and 13, but it wasn’t enough.

Young is ready to take the Hawks far this season

Atlanta has fielded a competitive roster for the last three years, right at the cusp of playoff contention. However, outside of the one run to the Conference Finals, they haven’t had much success.

This year, Trae is hoping things will be different. He’s started this season blistering hot. The Hawks guard is averaging 27.5 points per game, 9.2 assists per game, and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Atlanta will need the most out of Trae this year if he wants to get the Hawks into a competitive spot. Atlanta made the move to pair young with Dejounte Murray this year, a borderline All-Star, and the results have been great so far. Atlanta has one of the best backcourts in the NBA right now with Dejounte averaging 21.6, 8.1, 6.2. The sky is the limit for the Hawks this year.

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