The Trae Young Dilemma

[Jamaaliver]

A much stronger response. Much more conviction.

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[HMFFL]

Is it really obvious Trae?

We're not going to win this unless we find an elite talent. I wish us the best. I believe JJ is a keeper but we need so much more.

A much stronger response. Much more conviction.

Read on Twitter

Trae Young to @AlisonWSB: "Obviously I want to be here. I want to be here, but I want to win too... I want to be here. I want to win championships here... That's been me from the beginning."

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[dms269]

The Venn Diagram of Atlanta winning and Ressler being in charge (with his stingy pockets and cronyism front office) are two completely separate circles.

[jayu70]

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[HMFFL]

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While Luka is the better player having the ability to dunk the ball is a good advantage.

Trae has been able to lead us to the ECF so hopefully he can again.

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[jayu70]

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While Luka is the better player having the ability to dunk the ball is a good advantage.

Trae has been able to lead us to the ECF so hopefully he can again.

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Agreed
He can't do it by himself though. It requires a real commitment from ownership and the front office for a complete buy in of the direction.

[Jamaaliver]

Trae's still in the top-3, yall!!!

[tbhawksfan1]

Trae's still in the top-3, yall!!!

Who voted?

[jayu70]

Trae's still in the top-3, yall!!!

Who voted?

6 of 81 players. I would surmise any of the players he's ever nutmegged.

[jayu70]

Ressler and the front office on notice:

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[raleigh]

How silly. Trae hasn't been good enough in the past few years to put extra pressure on any FO.

[jayu70]

How silly. Trae hasn't been good enough in the past few years to put extra pressure on any FO.

In what way has he not been good enough?
Do you think the team the F.O. has put around him has been 'good enough?'

[Jamaaliver]

How silly. Trae hasn't been good enough in the past few years to put extra pressure on any FO.

In what way has he not been good enough?

Do you think the team the F.O. put around him has been 'good enough?'

It's clear we as a fanbase aren't used to having great players on our roster.

Trae Young...is obnoxious.
He is abrasive and immature and maddening.
But so are most superstars in the NBA. This stuff is, sadly, normal.

Trae Young has been one of the 20 most productive players in the NBA over the past 3 seasons.
He's had more assists than any player over that span. Been one of the top scorers in the league during that span.
Been All Star, All NBA.

It's completely understandable to watch his erratic play style, lazy defense, poor leadership and be ready to move on from him.

But the kid has been box office. Ridiculously productive and easily the best player the franchise has featured this century.

[raleigh]

In what way has he not been good enough?

Umm, results?

But Jamaaliver has kindly provided more detail: "erratic play style, lazy defense, poor leadership."

Do you think the team the F.O. put around him has been 'good enough?'

Good enough to be a top 6 seed if Trae was the superstar Atlanta fans are so desperate to crown him as? Absolutely.
Good enough to be better than a team that has lost more games than they've won during Young's tenure? Absolutely.

Let's not forget that the Murray trade and Capela extension happened largely because Trae wanted them to. Hunter had to be extended to counter the fact that good playoff defenses can render Trae ineffective. So much of the team as constructed was built to accommodate Trae.

But the kid has been box office

Doesn't lead to wins.

Ridiculously productive

Doesn't lead to wins.

Easily the best player the franchise has featured this century.

I'll take Joe Johnson any day over Trae. He had a complete NBA game, was easier to build a winning team around, and left everything on the court. Had Joe peaked during the pace-and-space era, I think he'd have been lauded every bit as much as Trae.

Fans of Trae will cite his counting stats, but the proof is found in the team's defensive rating. He absolutely craters the team's defense to the point it blunts a ton of his overall value. Veteran NBA coach Quin Snyder's big change this season was to try to push the bigs up higher to seal up the leaks from a porous perimeter defense. That's the last act of a desperate man. What we can now all plainly see is that a defense that features 40 minutes of Trae Young will be relentlessly exploited. I mean, the defense was so bad the team didn't even make the playoffs.

More importantly, the fact the Hawks keep trading away picks that could have landed them true stars does not automatically confer some special status on Trae. Diehards need to stop conflating two realities:

1) The Hawks have an ignominious history in the draft the past two decades.
2) Trae Young is a good player but far from a superstar.

Both are true. So, yes, it's past time to move on from Trae. But, thanks to Ressler's intervention in the DJM trade, that's not going to be easy.

[Jamaaliver]

In what way has he not been good enough?

Umm, results?

Fans of Trae will cite his counting stats, but the proof is found in the team's defensive rating. He absolutely craters the team's defense to the point it blunts a ton of his overall value. Veteran NBA coach Quin Snyder's big change this season was to try to push the bigs up higher to seal up the leaks from a porous perimeter defense. That's the last act of a desperate man. What we can now all plainly see is that a defense that features 40 minutes of Trae Young will be relentlessly exploited. I mean, the defense was so bad the team didn't even make the playoffs.

1. I appreciate a thoughtful, well articulated response.

2. There's also a ton here I would probably push back on.

But most important aspects to focus on:

The Hawks are better with Trae on the court than off. Even with terrible defense, this is supported by NET RATING.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Trae's on court contributions are right in line with top superstar players of his age.

Team success doesn't always match the player's effectiveness.

• SGA has been considered an elite young, 2-way guard for years -- even while his teams failed to make the postseason.
• Just last season, Luka Doncic put forth an All NBA season -- even while his team failed to make the postseason.
• Steph Curry just put forth another unbelievable career season at age 35 -- even as his team failed to make the postseason. Same thing happened in 2021.
• Ty Haliburton has long been seen as an elite PG -- even while his teams failed to make the postseason
• Dame Lillard toiled for years as an elite offensive talent -- even as his teams repeatedly failed to make the postseason.
• Durant failed to make inroads last season amid all the chaos and turmoil of another failed Nets season.

Even great players struggle to carry poorly constructed teams to success. It doesn't mean you give up on the player in their prime. It means you need to build better around them.

[jayu70]

In what way has he not been good enough?

Umm, results?

Fans of Trae will cite his counting stats, but the proof is found in the team's defensive rating. He absolutely craters the team's defense to the point it blunts a ton of his overall value. Veteran NBA coach Quin Snyder's big change this season was to try to push the bigs up higher to seal up the leaks from a porous perimeter defense. That's the last act of a desperate man. What we can now all plainly see is that a defense that features 40 minutes of Trae Young will be relentlessly exploited. I mean, the defense was so bad the team didn't even make the playoffs.

1. I appreciate a thoughtful, well articulated response.

2. There's also a ton here I would probably push back on.

But most important aspects to focus on:

The Hawks are better with Trae on the court than off. Even with terrible defense, this is supported by NET RATING.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Trae's on court contributions are right in line with top superstar players of his age.

Team success doesn't always match the player's effectiveness.

• SGA has been considered an elite young, 2-way guard for years -- even while his teams failed to make the postseason.
• Just last season, Luka Doncic put forth an All NBA season -- even while his team failed to make the postseason.
• Steph Curry just put forth another unbelievable career season at age 35 -- even as his team failed to make the postseason. Same thing happened in 2021.
• Ty Haliburton has long been seen as an elite PG -- even while his teams failed to make the postseason
• Dame Lillard toiled for years as an elite offensive talent -- even as his teams repeatedly failed to make the postseason.
• Durant failed to make inroads last season amid all the chaos and turmoil of another failed Nets season.

Even great players struggle to carry poorly constructed teams to success. It doesn't mean you give up on the player in their prime. It means you need to build better around them.

You saved me having to respond.