Trae Young had a stellar individual 2020-21 season, averaging 25.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 9.4 APG. He also was the driving force behind the Atlanta Hawks’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s clear that last year was a successful first playoff run for Trae Young.
Despite their amazing performances in last season’s playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks are currently 4-5 and 12th in the Eastern Conference. A large amount of focus has been on Trae Young, as his scoring is down to 22.4 PPG, and he’s shooting a paltry 40.7% from the field and 25.5% from beyond the arc. Russell Westbrook who is considered a non-shooter is shooting a better percentage than Trae Young from range. This hasn’t been the great start that many envisioned.
Trae Young has recently spoken out about his struggles, and stated that he is “not being himself”, looking to make the pass rather than being “aggressive first”. He also mentioned that doing that is “messing up” his rhythm.
Trae Young: "I'm not being myself. I'm not being aggressive first. I'm trying to get everyone involved and trying to look for everybody and scoring second. I think that's messing up a lot of my rhythm and a lot of my shots."
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) November 5, 2021
I’m not being myself. I’m not being aggressive first. I’m trying to get everyone involved and trying to look for everybody and scoring second. I think that’s messing up a lot of my rhythm and a lot of my shots.
It remains to be seen if Trae Young will turn it around, but generally, people would think that a player with his talent will be able to figure things out. Trae Young simply needs to get in a rhythm, and with their superstar performing well, the Atlanta Hawks will surely get back on track.
The Atlanta Hawks can still be a good team, and there’s a lot of the season left to play. Many players start off slow after the offseason, and it’s clear that this is the case with Trae Young. Hopefully, better performances are on the horizon.
