Atlanta’s Trae Young missed Friday’s game against the Nuggets, and it was potentially a much bigger deal than people may have initially realized.
One of the goals during training camp for the Hawks was to improve the communication and the connection between Young and head coach Nate McMillan. During the offseason, Young insisted that he had a “great” (and not rocky) relationship with McMillan.
If you’ll recall, Young reportedly had a “strained relationship” with former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce and wanted him fired. A few months after Pierce was fired, Young appeared to take a shot at his former coach following Team USA’s loss to Australia.
McMillan replaced Pierce less than one year ago and perhaps his main duty as head coach was to properly solve the question of how to use Young.
Based on a recent report from The Athletic, however, it seems that trouble may be brewing once again between Young and his head coach. Here is what we know thus far: