With Trae Young, Clint Capela, and John Collins, the Atlanta Hawks have a talented core that is already making some noise in the East. Still, if you ask many within the NBA community, they aren’t quite there when it comes to being a legitimate title contender.
On “Inside The NBA,” Charles Barkley roasted them pretty hard, suggesting that they’re still two major pieces away (LeBron James and AD) from being among the elites.
Shaq: “I think the Hawks are two players away Chuck.”
Barkley: “Yeah, LeBron and Anthony Davis.”
Shaq: "I think the Hawks are two players away Chuck."
Barkley: "Yeah, LeBron and Anthony Davis." pic.twitter.com/VPxDx5pqNS
— pickuphoop (@pickuphoop) April 16, 2021
Most would agree, at the very least, that Trae Young is a legit star in this league. This season, he’s averaging 25.4 points, 9.5 assists, and 4 rebounds per game on 43.5% shooting.
According to Chuck, though, the Hawks aren’t really close to being at the Lakers’ level. They haven’t found their true stars yet.
Love him or hate him, it’s impossible to prove Barkley wrong at this point. Despite all that Trae has done, he has yet to lead his team to the playoffs a single time. And while this season should change that, one has to wonder if he can be “that guy” on a Championship team.
It’ll be up to Young to prove himself, and up to the Hawks to continue to build a roster that can compete with the best of them.
