a days ago After eliminating New York in the playoffs last season, Trae Young is back in the Big Apple as a more polished version of himself.
Several months later, he returns to the scene where there was chaos and hysteria and a bloodthirsty band of eyewitnesses, all emotionally whipped by his presence.
Yes: How can anyone forget Trae Young’s last appearance in MSG, when he put the Mad in Madison Square Garden? Even before his antics that day, the crowd was pushed to the edge right from his introduction over the loudspeaker:
“I’ve arranged for a guest to be in our corner tonight, someone who knows what it takes to win in Madison Square Garden. So please ladies and gentlemen, give a big New York City welcome … to the Atlanta Hawks’ own, Mr. Trae Young!”
With that bit of trolling, Sami Zayn, a noted villain in the pro wrestling world, took the mic at the WWE Smackdown and invited Young back to the menacing Garden mosh pit. This was in September, months after Young gave Knicks fans the finger — the index to the lips, not that other finger, although this was perhaps more insulting — and became this generation’s Reggie Miller when he took great pleasure in bouncing the Knicks from the playoffs.
atlanta Hawks Young played the heel again, this time at ringside, executing his staged role in the wrestling event ever so smoothly, cupping his ear and waving his arms to encourage the crowd’s harsh feedback, and totally hammed it up.
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young reveals new ‘weapon’ that has elevated his game this season
Trae Young was voted as an All-Star for the second time in his career this season. The 23-year-old has been nothing short of amazing for the Atlanta Hawks this season and there’s no denying that he deserved his All-Star nod this term.
Now in his fourth year in the league, atlanta hawks Young atar has been able to elevate his game to another level. He’s firmly established himself as one of the most potent scorers in the league, with opposing defenses targetting him every single night. As such, the 6-foot-1 point guard has been forced to find ways to evolve his offensive game in order to remain effective amid the stifling defense he’s had to face in every game.
According to atlanta hawks Young himself, he’s poured in a lot of time and effort in improving his mid-range game this season. He’s always been known as the sharp-shooting 3-point specialist, and for him to be able to incorporate this new weapon into his game has been integral in his NBA success this season:
“I’m making more shots, taking my time, making my shots more efficiently right now,” Young said, via Shaun Powell of NBA.com. “I’m focused and locked in every game to do that. I wanted to work on the mid-range, add that to my game, and it gives me another tool, another weapon. Me hitting the mid-range and getting to the middle is the key. If I continue to knock those down, people will have to respect it and maybe it helps my teammates get open looks. I could be more consistent, but the hard work I put in during the summer is paying off.”
This season, the Hawks superstar is taking around 13% of his shots from mid-range. This is a vast improvement from the 5.4% he was attempting last season. It is worth noting that Young has also seen a bump in his scoring this term, averaging 27.9 points per game as opposed to his 25.3-point scoring clip last year. His efficiency is also up despite his increased volume. This season, Trae is shooting a career-best 45.5-percent from the floor on 20.3 shots, compared to 43.8 percent last season on 17.7 attempts.
The Atlanta Hawks are fighting for dear life in the East right now as they currently sit at the 10th spot in the conference. All hope is not lost this season, but there’s no denying that this team will be relying heavily on Trae Young with the hope of another extended postseason run this term.
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McGusty said: “He really embraces being a smaller guard, being made fun of, someone that the crowd targets. He doesn’t let that affect him. I’m not going to say he enjoys it but he embraces it. He’s a hooper. He gets in his bag, he gets to his spot, he makes his teammates better. So you can’t do nothing but respect it. I just like how he takes on the challenge. This is the same stuff we went through in college. And he’s like, ‘Man these people feel like this about me? Let me shut them up.’ And he’s gonna let you know when he does. That confidence and swagger that he has, that’s one of the biggest things I like about him.”
Trae Young reacts and embraces the TCU crowd as a freshman at Oklahoma.
Young often put opposing players on the nightly highlights when he perfected the art of passing the ball between their legs. These nutmeg passes led to layups for teammates, or for himself, and made defenders look foolish. Trevor Ariza famously took exception last season and had words, but otherwise, Young said players took those moments in stride.
“When I do those passes, it’s a flow, a natural thing,” he said. “After the game, or if I see them in the summertime, it’s all jokes, all part of the game, we’re having fun, they don’t take it the wrong way. I’ve gotten crossed before and dunked on, too, so I know the feeling.”
Told that those victimized players have families watching the game, he laughed and said: “I got family watching, too.”
Trae Young used the nutmeg quite often during his first couple of NBA seasons, and some took offense to it.
Back to the villain tag: From a persona standpoint, Young is anything but; he’s laid back and doesn’t bring attention to himself other than through his play. And Ray Young, his father, finds the whole thing amusing.
“Trae grew up idolizing Steph (Curry), and Steph is the furthest thing from a villain,” the father said. “Trae wanted to emulate his career like Steph or Steve Nash or Chris Paul. Those guys play the game the right way, carry themselves the right way, and so does Trae. Now, all of a sudden, it’s kind of out of control, and he’s the villain.”
Before the Draft, Young had a workout with the Knicks and sparkled. The club was high on him, but the Knicks held the No. 9 pick. Young was off the board at No. 5.
Suppose the Knicks traded up? What would the New York reaction be towards Young? “Things would be a lot different,” the father said.
That’s New York’s loss. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Young is easily the biggest hoop attraction since Dominique Wilkins. He has turned Hawks home games into a see-and-be-seen event for fans. Around the city, Young is embraced and he, in turn, has embraced all that Atlanta offers, especially the music scene, where he’s a favorite among the rap and hip-hop community.