5 swap with a first-round pick that the Hawks used on Reddish. Reddish was the bonus from the Young-Doncic trade Dallas sealed the No. They also have Reddish, who flourished in the 2021 playoffs after an inconsistent and injury-filled start to his career, and this is where it gets interesting. The Hawks are bringing Collins, who just signed a fat contract extension and De’Andre Hunter - their best defender, and one who squeezed Doncic into a poor shooting night (6-for-17) - as well as Clint Capela, who led the NBA in rebounding last season along with Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, who are deadly from deep. “Guys have to be comfortable with less minutes.”Īfter a fifth-seed showing led to a conference finals run, how far can the Hawks go now? “We have one ball and we have to figure out how to have success with one ball,” McMillan said. Put it this way: Lou Williams, a three-time winner of the Kia NBA Sixth Man award and still a creative scorer at 34, couldn’t get off the bench Thursday. ![]() That would be coach Nate McMillan, who has a good problem on his hands. “Nate is probably stressing out trying to find minutes for people,” said Young. On some nights this season, the toughest competition in the building will be among Hawks players fighting amongst each other, trying to get burn. Atlanta is front- and backloaded with young talent anxious to rise and gain traction. ![]() Years of deft drafting and shrewd free-agent signings by the Hawks have produced a solid nucleus for Young. When Doncic needed help, he saw Kristaps Porzingis miss 3-of-4 shots from deep and as many turnovers as baskets (four).Īnd so, again: Which of these two franchise-changing players is sitting prettiest? When Young needed help Thursday, he turned to Cam Reddish (20 points in 21 minutes) and John Collins and more in a rotation that reaches 10-deep. This season? Young has a team that should be top-four in the East, while Doncic might fall into the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. ![]() Yet the makeup of the Hawks around Young seems starkly better than what Dallas has assembled around Doncic and unless Dirk Nowitzki reincarnated is walking through that door, this probably won’t change in 2021-22.īottom line: While Doncic is the bigger player and perhaps a bit more special, Young has gone deeper in the playoffs, taking the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals last year while Doncic and the Mavs bowed out in the first round. So there will be no crystal-balling here, not now. It’s always tricky to forecast an entire season based on a single game, much less one in October. The Hawks promptly dropped an anvil right on the Mavericks’ collective heads, ripping through a 26-point victory on the strength of depth and defense. If the true scoreboard is team results over individual, it’s pretty clear so far that Young is in a better place and Doncic is in … another place. This “competition” hasn’t developed like many thought. ![]() What has arrived for both teams is Opening Night 2021, when the Hawks and Young bamboozled the Mavericks and Doncic. Trae Young and Luka Doncic will be forever linked by their Draft day trade … and also their NBA success.įor those at home who began keeping score when the Hawks traded Luka Doncic for Trae Young and swore Atlanta would rue the day, well … it’s three years later and that day hasn’t yet arrived.
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