We obviously thought of Stephen Curry, and this is not the first time with Trae Young. With 40 seconds left to play, the Hawks lead by 3 points, and the Suns defense is close to interception. The ball drags, and the All-Star point guard picks it up on the ground, and draws straight to 3-pointers. Eight meters away, no questions asked. And it hits home in a room that explodes! It’s the basket of the game, and it validates the victory of the Hawks. The 8th in nine matches against the Suns who had not lost since January 8!
“I think I just grew up watching moments like that, and thinking about moments like that,” Young said of facing “the best team in the NBA with the best record.” “I love those times. It’s a big win for us. We must rely on our current series. “
At the bottom of the hole 15 days ago, the Hawks raised their heads, recovering their injured one by one, and in an atmosphere of madness, we found the Hawks of the last playoffs, and long uncertain because of his shoulder, Young confirmed that he loves high-stakes matches and high-profile posters. Facing him were the undisputed leaders of the NBA, but there was also Chris Paul. The reference of the genre as a leader-passer for 15 years.
“We took a continuous dose of Trae” sums up the Suns point guard. “Trae is a tough guy. If you watch it every night, it’s exhausting. “
“Since adolescence, I have suffered double strikes, and I have a lot of practice to get out of it”
Like Curry, Young is indeed exhausting, with or without the ball. Impossible to relax since he can shoot from anywhere on the pitch, or change pace to trap his defender. It is a permanent danger, and he signs a huge game: 43 points on 16 out of 25 on shots, including 6 out of 11 from 3-pointers. It’s hard to ask for more against one of the best defenses in the NBA, and against one of the best point guards in history, and even this season. Often caught in twos, Young manages to outsmart them, and it’s easier when his teammates also have a hot hand.
“Since adolescence, I have suffered double-teams, and I have a lot of practice to get out of it and find where my teammates are,” explains the Hawks point guard.
But what retains Young of this victory, and more generally of the current series, it is the defense of its Hawks. Around Clint Capela, and with Onyeka Okongwu as understudy, Atlanta has changed its face for two to three weeks.
“I think we are currently focused on defense as a priority. We then let the attack come to us. It’s the right mindset to have. We are aware of what we can do in attack, and we must first be determined in defense to complicate the task of the opponents. “
| Trae Young | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2018-19 | ATL | 81 | 31 | 41.8 | 32.4 | 82.9 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 8.1 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 0.2 | 19.1 |
| 2019-20 | ATL | 60 | 35 | 43.7 | 36.1 | 86.0 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 9.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 4.8 | 0.1 | 29.6 |
| 2020-21 | ATL | 63 | 34 | 43.8 | 34.3 | 88.6 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 9.4 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 4.1 | 0.2 | 25.3 |
| 2021-22 | ATL | 45 | 35 | 45.2 | 37.6 | 89.5 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 9.3 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 0.1 | 27.7 |
| Total | 249 | 33 | 43.5 | 35.0 | 86.7 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 8.9 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 0.2 | 24.8 | |
