"Hate how they sit DJ for too long" - NBA fans rally behind Dejounte Murray's father defending Hawks' star after loss to Raptors

There seems to be trouble brewing in Atlanta, suggested by the recent social media activity of Dejounte Murray and his father following the Hawks' 135-128 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

Dejounte Murray had 20 points and five assists in 34 minutes in the loss, but his impact was reflected negatively in the team's performance, with a minus-17 rating.

Following the game, John Murray, the father of the Hawks star, expressed on X (formerly Twitter) his thoughts on how his son is being utilized.

“This is a straight Circus show,” Murray tweeted.

Dejounte Murray liked his father’s tweet, along with another that said his prolonged benching in the second half was detrimental to the team.

John made another post about Atlanta fans disrespecting him and Dejounte, and some fans rallied behind them in support.

The Hawks are 9-14 this season.

Doc Rivers doesn't think the Dejounte Murray-Trae Young duo works

During an appearance on "The Bill Simmons Podcast," ex-Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers expressed the view that the combination of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young doesn't function effectively.

"It has not worked. They are both small in size," Rivers said.

"Now, Murray will try to defend, and he is very competitive, but he is still small at the end of the day."

The Atlanta Hawks acquired Dejounte Murray from the Hawks for Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks in June 2022.

The Hawks have a record of 47-50 in the games Murray played.

The Hawks perform better this season when Murray is off the court, according to on/off numbers:

• Hawks with Trae and Dejounte ON: -2.46 in 473 minutes
• With Dejounte ON and Trae OFF: -1.19 in 316 minutes
• With Trae ON and Dejounte OFF: +6.01 in 279 minutes

Young's averages without Murray on the court include 39.8 points per 100 possessions on a 59.2% true shooting percentage. Conversely, with Murray on the court, Young's averages drop to 32.9 points per 100 possessions on a 54.0% true shooting percentage.

Murray's 3-point shooting percentage decreases by 5% when Young is not on the court, which aligns with his historical performance as a less efficient shooter from deep when serving as the primary option with the Spurs. On the other hand, Young's 3-point shooting percentage increases by 4% when Murray is not on the court.

This offseason, the Hawks and Murray reached an agreement on a four-year, $120 million contract extension.