Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young still has a whole lot to prove in the NBA. Despite averaging 25.3 points per game for his career and leading the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, there are a lot of questions about his game and how he’ll fit alongside his newest star teammate, Dejounte Murray.
While some might have doubts, Young seems to be sure that his squad is set to surprise some people in the 2022-23 season. After making his on-court debut with Murray in the CrawsOver Pro-Am League, Young issued the following warning to the NBA and his Eastern Conference competitors:
I hope y’all ready…🤫❄️💯
we’ll see y’all soon🤍 pic.twitter.com/Twvk4fEwaS
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) August 1, 2022
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Murray gave a warning himself about the things to come for Atlanta:
“We’re both hoopers. We’ve been texting each day, whether it’s about life, basketball, or taking care of our family and building that chemistry,” said Murray. “He’s a hooper, and he’s really smart. He’s willing to do what it takes to win. He’s another All-Star and a guy who works hard. He wanted me as bad as I wanted to go over there to help…We’re both smart, and we love the game. When you add those things together, you figure out ways to win. The main goal is to win, and that’s what we both want.”
While Murray is no Kevin Durant or even Donovan Mitchell, his two-sided game should make an ideal fit next to Trae in the backcourt. Couple that duo with some solid role players in Clint Capela and John Collins and you get a very deep and talented team that has the potential to make some serious noise.
For now, the doubters will continue to question everything, and the haters will keep talking, but if the Hawks can exceed expectations in the season ahead, they might just earn the respect they’ve been seeking for years now.
