Trae Young has an impressive James Harden record in his sights
The Atlanta Hawks have a 107-109 regular season record in the two and a half seasons since their unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. Considering the preseason expectations in Atlanta and around the league, their current season can only be viewed as a disappointment. The Hawks, who are currently 23–29, are fighting for the final Eastern Conference seed in the NBA Play-In Tournament—the 10th seed.
Atlanta has good news, though: the Hawks have triumphed in five of their last seven games, including thrilling victories over the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors. Additionally, Hawks point guard Trae Young keeps putting up insane stat lines, just like he has for the previous four seasons.
Young made some impressive statistical history on Friday night, defeating the shorthanded 76ers 127-121 with a 37-point, 12-assist performance. He now stands alongside James Harden and Damian Lillard, two players who were each selected to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team just two years ago.
According to the Atlanta Hawks Twitter feed, this was also Trae Young’s 77th career game with at least 30 points and 10 assists, ranking him fifth all-time in the NBA.
One might argue that Trae Young is currently the most divisive player in the NBA. There are others who compare him to a less talented version of Stephen Curry, citing his worse shooting, defence, and overall lack of leadership qualities. Others consider Trae Young to be among the NBA’s most dynamic offensive players ever. You can’t argue against the fact that Trae Young is one of the league’s most prolific offensive players—the truth probably lies somewhere in the centre. Just take another look at that tweet, please. Despite having played in 645 less games, he is only 13 games behind James Harden for the 30-10-5 three-point club.
Lakers LeBron James is staring at Trae Young and Dejounte Murray of the Hawks with emoji eyes.
NBA rumours: Trae Young might be the Hawks’ primary prize, but Dejounte Murray is anticipated to be pursued again by the Lakers.
A day ago, Tim Crean ·
Trae Young is currently averaging about 11 assists and 27 points per game. Young would be scoring at least 25 points and dishing out nine assists a game for the fifth straight season if those stats held true. Of the players in NBA history, Oscar Robertson is the only one with more seasons hitting such averages (StatMuse). Only six players—Young, Robertson, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Jerry West, and Nate Archibald—have hit those marks in numerous seasons.
The Hawks are about to embark on an important eight-game stretch when their lone opponent with a winning record is the Orlando Magic. In order to have a chance to escape the Play-In and return to the Playoff picture, the Hawks will need to take care of business over the next three weeks.
