Bogdan Bogdanovic: Hawks are not a good team right now

Sarah K. Spencer: I asked Trae Young about his spirits, with where the Hawks are: “We’re finally getting some guys back, but we’ve got to win. For me… It’s frustrating. I hate losing. That’s pretty much it. I’m not the happiest guy in the world right now, but we’ve got to find a way to win.” -via Twitter @sarah_k_spence / January 9, 2022

“It’s frustrating. It’s not fun,” Young said of the Hawks’ defense. “Being one of the best offensive teams in the league is a really good thing, but when you’re letting teams score as much as you, it’s not good for your team. We got to figure it out. We have time to figure it out. We have to do it. We have to keep the offense the way it’s been going. We have to get more stops.” Kevin Huerter, who made his return after sitting the past six games while in health and safety protocols, echoed Young’s comments. “It’s just one of those things that we talk about where we know how capable and how good we can be,” Huerter said. -via The Athletic / January 4, 2022

There have been too many instances this season where the starters come back into games having to play catch-up, and the Hawks have to sometimes force the issue in spots when they shouldn’t have to, but as Prunty said, he’s not going to play Young 24 minutes in the second half. He’s got to sit at some point, especially in a regular-season game in early January. If it were up to Young though, he would be out there the entire game. “S—, I was trying to be out there for my team,” Young said of watching the fourth-quarter lead disappear. “I obviously want to play all 48 minutes. I don’t know if my body would let me do that. I just want to be out there as much as I can. I know it’s a long season. This isn’t an individual sport. We all have to find a way to give a little bit more and pull out games in the end. We have to find a way for all of us, top to bottom, to give a little more.” -via The Athletic / January 4, 2022