There’s no skirting around it: the Atlanta Hawks are one of the worst teams in the NBA. At 15-41 on the season, they’re 14th in the East and are lottery-bound yet again. The lone bright spot has been Trae Young, who in his sophomore season and played well enough despite his team’s record to earn his first All-Star nod in Chicago this weekend.
Young’s talent is undeniable. He’s one of the most electrifying young players in the league, and his ability to score and shoot from anywhere makes him a nightmare for defenders. Still, the concern is that the constant losing can take its toll on an up-and-coming player like himself.
Young is well aware of that pitfall, and in an appearance on The Jump in Chicago prior to his All-Star duties, he answered a pretty tough question from Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen regarding just how much more of it he can take before it starts to have a negative impact on his development and his team. For Young, the answer is, in no small measure, having an open line to the front office and being able to discuss their on-court needs moving forward.
Trae Young joined #TheJump and Scottie Pippen asked him: “how long can a player of your caliber take losing?” pic.twitter.com/OmJHKD4IIp
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 14, 2020
“The best part about our front office is that they’re very open,” he said. “Especially with me, about helping me get better, helping our team get better. We’re just all trying to figure out our way to help this team, this organization get better, so I trust our front office in making the moves, and they’ve made some moves already.”
The deal lhe’s referring to is the massive, three-team, 12-player deal that sent Clint Capela to the Hawks before the trade deadline. It’s a move that won’t make much of an impact this season but is definitely in line with future thinking. Right now, however, Young can leave all that behind for a few days and just enjoy the experience as a first-time All-Star and everything that entails.
