Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks started this season by absolutely dominating Luka Doncic and his Dallas Mavericks in the first game. Things were looking great for the 2021 Eastern Conference finalists and it looked like they would have another successful season. However, things fizzled out and they went 3-5 in their next 8 games after the win.
After the 5th loss, Trae Young had commented on the difference in the commitment level that players feel in the playoffs and the regular season. Young admitted that the early-season games were boring after the high his team had experienced in the postseason earlier in the year.
“I think guys are learning that. We’re no longer the hunters. It’s the regular season. I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot more boring than the playoffs. You got to find that motivation to play like the playoffs.”
Trae Young on the difficulty of sacrificing early in the season: "I think guys are learning that. We're no longer the hunters. It's regular season. I'm not going to lie, it's a lot more boring than the playoffs. You got to find that motivation to play like the playoffs."
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) November 5, 2021
Trae made his declaration after his team lost to the Utah Jazz by a score of 116-98. While it may seem like an honest analysis by Trae and a rallying cry to his teammates to get their act together, things have gotten worse for the Hawks somehow.
Since he made these comments, Atlanta has a record of 13-20, which has led them all the way out of the playoff picture to the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks have been in something of a free-fall that Trae has been unable to help with despite averaging 27.6 points per game this season.
The GM of the Hawks, Travis Schlenk, has made it clear that maybe he needs to consider making some moves so that he can add quality to the roster. John Collins is a player whose name has come up in trade talks and Cam Reddish has already been moved on. Whatever they do, Atlanta has to try and stop the rot when it comes to results or they may have to concede the season without even reaching the playoffs at all.
