Free agent forward Marcus Morris has been raising eyebrows with his takes ever since he started appearing on ESPN, and he dished out his most insane one yet on Tuesday. Morris claimed on First Take that Trae Young only “just started passing the ball,” and the Atlanta Hawks star took to X to call him out.
“Love Marcus, but this is why it’s important to WIN at a high level & win consistently, kids. Human nature to live in the moment! This how bad narratives are made though.. ‘just started passing’? Let’s do our research.”
There are some faults that you can point out in Young as a basketball player, but being reluctant to pass has never been one of them. The 26-year-old has been one of the very best playmakers in the NBA ever since he came into the league in 2018.
Here is a look at how many assists Young has averaged in his seven seasons and where he has ranked.
2018-19: 8.1 APG, 7th
2019-20: 9.3 APG, 2nd
2020-21: 9.4 APG, 3rd
2021-22: 9.7 APG, 3rd
2022-23: 10.2 APG, 3rd
2023-24: 10.8 APG, 2nd
2024-25: 11.6 APG, 1st
Young has never finished outside the top three for assists per game after his rookie season. That’s an incredible six-year run and makes Morris’ claim sound absolutely ridiculous. In case you think the 13-year veteran’s comments were taken out of context, that’s not the case. Here is what he said.
“He wasn’t a point guard,” Morris said. “He just started passing the ball. He was shooting 40-foot three-pointers.”
You can criticize Young for his inefficiency and poor defense, but not this. He has been one of the best in the business for a very long time.
As Young stated, these insane takes show how important it is to win in the NBA. When the team is struggling, narratives start to develop regarding the star player that just aren’t true.
Despite Young averaging 24.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2024-25, the Hawks finished eighth in the East with a 40-42 record. They would then lose their play-in games against the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat to miss out on the playoffs. It was the second season in a row that they failed to make it in.
It seems like an age ago when Young led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. They were two wins away from making the NBA Finals but lost in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Hawks have not won a playoff series since that magical run. While Young gets some of the blame for that, the team just hasn’t been good enough for the longest time. It should come as no surprise, then, that Young’s future with the Hawks is murky.
“[Trae Young] is a fierce competitor, he wants to win. The direction of the Hawks is very unique considering they know where he stands and what he wants to accomplish.”
We listed out the four best destinations for Young in this 2025 offseason. Heading over to a better team would present the four-time All-Star with an opportunity to showcase his talents on the biggest stage and put an end to some of those false narratives.
