In the 2020-21 postseason, Trae Young had done the seemingly impossible by taking the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals. He averaged 28.0 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in four games against the Milwaukee Bucks. Sure, the Hawks lost in six games, but Young had emerged as a sensational offensive player in that series. He was also just 22 at the time.
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Five years later, we find the Hawks reeling at 10th place in the East, despite having finally built a decent unit around Young. Of course, building around the point guard was itself a surprise since they had trouble coming to terms on a contract extension with Young in the offseason.
It didn’t help things when Young injured his MCL in October and missed 22 games. He did manage a 30-point game against the Heat upon return to action in December. But that seems like a flash in the pan now.
The Hawks went 0-6 in Young’s first 6 games in the starting lineup since his return to action. And now, the Hawks look happy to offload him to anyone willing to buy out his contract. It’s a puzzling situation for everyone involved, but Hall of Famer Reggie Miller knows the reason Young’s record is going downhill.
While talking about Young’s form on the Dan Patrick show, Miller stated the problem bluntly: “It’s getting success too early.”
“I think his decline really started after the Hawks went to the Conference finals and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, the eventual champions. I think things came too easy for him,” Miller elaborated.
The 5 time NBA All-Star clarified that he has not seen the Hawks’ practice session and doesn’t follow their day-to-day routine. But he does hear stories.
“And when you hear things that players don’t like playing with him, he doesn’t practice hard. He doesn’t come early and work out. He certainly doesn’t stay late and work on his game. When I hear comments like that, I hope they are not true. Because I believe he is an unbelievable talent and he can help a team out,” Miller continued.
Miller explained that Young was of a small build. So he inevitably gets taken advantage of at the defensive end. The Pacers legend advised Young to work out with lifting weights and bulking up. The Hawks guard has not shown interest in doing any of it so far in his career.
“I mean, look at Stephen Curry. They were almost the same size at one point. You look at Curry now, how much he has bulked up, continues to work on his shot, like it’s going out of business. I don’t know if Trae works like that, I don’t know if he’s committed to working like that,” Miller pointed out.
As far as the Hawks are concerned, Miller believes the sooner they trade him, the better. The longer they wait, the returns they could get for Young will diminish at a compounding rate.
