About four months ago, the Hawks fell to the Bucks at State Farm Arena in Game 6 to lose the Eastern Conference Finals. On Sunday, Atlanta would go on to snap a six-game losing streak in a rematch with Milwaukee to the tune of 120-100 on the back of Trae Young, who touched up the Bucks for 42 points on 61.5% shooting from the floor and from deep. Young was masterful.
He had 15 points in the first quarter and matched his career-high in threes in one quarter, going 5-for-6 from deep. He has been in a rhythm with his three-ball in the past five games, shooting 52.2% on 9.2 attempts per game, so this game was inevitable. Young finished the half with 27 points, six rebounds, and four assists — heading into the locker room with a 58-44 lead.
This wasn’t the first time the Hawks would go into the half with the lead, though; it has been the second-half where Nate McMillan’s squad has struggled. It began to look like that when the Bucks, who were down multiple starters in Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, started on a 6-0 run to start the second half. Well, Young again answered the call himself, leading the Hawks on a 6-0 run of their own.
Ice Trae was getting everything he wanted in the third quarter; his floater was dropping, his threes were falling, and his facilitation to teammates was on point. The Hawks wouldn’t look back and put Giannis and Jrue Holiday away. Clint Capela had an encouraging performance, finishing the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds; clearly, he just needs to get back into game shape. John Collins also had another vintage game putting up 19 points on 53.3% shooting from the field.
The star of the night was Trae Young, though. He finished the game with 42 points, eight boards, and ten assists; the fourth-year point guard also matched his career-high in three-pointers in a game with eight. The Hawks are working through some growing pains in the early go of the season, but their superstar isn’t working through anything at all. Sunday’s 40-point effort was Young’s 17th, moving him into a three-place tie with Kevin Durant and LeBron James for 40-point games in their first four seasons — trailing only Michael Jordan (62) and Shaquille O’Neal (21).
There seems to be a narrative out there that Trae Young is one of the players struggling to adjust to the NBA’s new rule changes and the new Wilson basket, but that is just not true. He’s playing better than ever — top ten in points per game and second in assists per game. Just look at these numbers he’s putting up the past five games.
https://twitter.com/HawksFanTV/status/1460285634380242944?s=20
There are evident changes in the league affecting players, whether that be the ball or the rules; check out some of these stars around the league comparing last year and this year’s shooting splits.
James Harden
- this season: 51.0% eFG, 39.9% FG, 40.0% 3P
- last season: 54.8% eFG, 46.6% FG, 36.2% 3P
Bradley Beal
- this season: 46.4% eFG, 42.6% FG, 25.4% 3P
- last season: 53.2% eFG, 48.5% FG, 34.9% 3P
Joel Embiid
- this season: 48.2% eFG, 43.5% FG, 39.4% 3P
- last season: 54.5% eFG, 51.3% FG, 37.7% 3P
Jayson Tatum
- this season: 45.2% eFG, 39.5% FG, 32.1% 3P
- last season: 53.0% eFG, 45.9% FG, 38.6% 3P
Damian Lillard
- this season: 43.1% eFG, 36.5% FG, 25.5% 3P
- last season: 55.4% eFG, 45.1% FG, 39.1% 3P
Trae Young
- this season: 51.6% eFG, 45.2% FG, 38.7% 3P
- last season: 49.9% eFG, 43.8% FG, 34.3% 3P
Across the board, the league’s stars are struggling, but Young is not one of them. He’s averaging just as many points on better shooting with nearly half the free throw attempts this year compared to last year. He is one of the best young players in this league, and it would behoove the NBA to market him even more than they already are.
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