Returning from hand surgery, Trae Young had time to participate in only three matches before last night to get back into shape. Insufficient to regain his All-Star level, and after the defeat against the Bulls, the Hawks' season is already over. A difficult season for Atlanta undermined by injuries, including that of its “franchise player”.
“The thing to remember? At the start of the season, we did not envisage finding ourselves in this situation,” recognizes Trae Young. “Obviously, the injuries made life difficult for us. But we were still able to achieve our goal and give ourselves a chance. But we didn't do the right things. They attacked well, Coby (White) continued to attack us, Vucevic played very well. Everyone played very well. »
The “play-in” is a cleaver match like few in the NBA. It's a Game 7 before its time. A question of “life or death” for the two teams which finished 9th and 10th. You can't miss it, there is no time for adaptation or changes.
Too focused on his hand, he takes off his splint
“It’s hard, it’s not a series. It's just one match, and you can't change many things during the match, » analyzes the Hawks leader. “We had a game plan, we followed it, but we had to change some things. Some guys were on fire so we tried to change during the match. But they stayed hot and continued to make the right choices. Yes, it’s just complicated sometimes…”
To get back to the score, Young took risks. Too much probably when there was apprehension regarding his operated hand. “I don't know, I think I wasn't aggressive enough at the start of the match. And I lost some balls, I was thinking too much about my hand,” admits Young. “So I took the splint off, and my physio probably won't be happy with me. But maybe she'll be satisfied that it lasted the whole match. Yeah, it was just frustrating at the start of the match and I took it away and just didn't think about it anymore. »
So that’s it for the Hawks’ 2023-24 fiscal year. A disappointing season which ended in 10th place and elimination in the play-in. All that remains to be seen is what the future holds for the three-time All-Star. Trae Young is in several transfer rumors. He may have played his last match tonight.
