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Trae Young complained of pain in his back in the Atlanta Hawks’ 130-121 loss to the LA Lakers last Friday. “Ice Trae” fell hard to the floor in the second quarter of that game but returned to finish it. He played 36 minutes and scored a team-high 29 points to go with his eight assists and three rebounds.
Although he was 11-24 from the field, he missed all four of his three-point attempts. Young made 7-9 three-point shots. He appeared to be fine after gingerly walking to the bench.
The Atlanta Hawks have removed him from their injury report, which has been a rarity this season. The two-time All-Star is guaranteed to see action tonight when the Hawks visit the Golden State Warriors.
The game against the Warriors will be the first in a four-game road trip out in the West. They will face the Sacramento Kings, LA Lakers and LA Clippers in the next few games.
Atlanta will badly need Trae Young to play to keep their playoff chances alive. They are still in ninth place in the East but have 4-6 in their last 10 games. The Hawks are also on a three-game losing streak and have struggled on the road.
Having Young in the lineup will ensure the Hawks have their best player when they take on the defending NBA champs. The Warriors are also injury-riddled for tonight’s encounter but are on a four-game winning run.
How has Trae Young’s presence impacted the Atlanta Hawks this season?
The Atlanta Hawks have a night and day difference when Trae Young is out and when he’s available. He is one of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers and is also one of the league’s worst defenders. In effect, the Hawks are a Jekyll and Hyde team when their most potent offensive player is in or out of it.
Atlanta has a 113.0 offensive rating when Young plays. It drops to 106.3 without him, which is easily the worst in the NBA. His ability to score off pull-ups, drives and off-screens is just impressive, particularly with the way he’s built.
Young is also one of the NBA’s best at setting up teammates, especially when throwing lobs at Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu and John Collins. Without him, Atlanta’s offense stagnates, even with the presence of another All-Star point guard in Dejounte Murray.
The flipside to Trae Young’s presence is that the Hawks have become downright terrible on defense. They have a 110.5 defensive rating without him, putting them in the top 10 in that category. The Hawks fall to 27th with Young on the gritty side of the ball.
More than just his size and build, “Ice Trae” is often disengaged on defense. He blows defensive assignments, is late on rotations and regularly jogs back on defense.
For most of his career, he has not consistently put more effort on the defensive end, and it’s hurting the Atlanta Hawks.
Head coach Nate McMillan, though, has no choice. The Hawks are paying Trae Young $37 million to play. He has to be serviceable on defense, or the Hawks could struggle to get into the playoffs again.
