Tag: trae young

Jimmy Butler got back at Trae Young, who prematurely said Hawks-Heat game was over

Oops.

Young Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young learned a very important lesson the hard way on Tuesday night.

After dropping a perfect dime to teammate Alex Len with over a minute left in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat, the Hawks were up 117-111. Young decided that was a good time to make the universal sign for “it’s over!”

But the game was not, in fact, over. And the Heat would end up coming back and winning 135-121 in overtime.

After the game, Heat star Jimmy Butler took to Instagram to needle Young for the reaction with a great post and caption: “This man (Trae Young) is a teller of the future. he was right. game WAS over!”

For what it’s worth, Young took it in stride on Twitter:

Welp indeed. But lesson learned, right?

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Kevon Looney’s return spoiled by Trae Young, Hawks top Warriors 104-79

Fatigue looked to be a factor as the understaffed Warriors get blown out against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.

Regardless of injuries or inexperience, the 2019 Golden State Warriors have battled almost every opponent that’s lined up against them. However, sometimes, the gap in talent and lack of depth outweighs the gritty effort of the Dubs. Tonight the Warriors limited rotation looked tired in Atlanta, never matching the energy of the Hawks in a 104-79 discouraging loss.

Yes, you read that correctly, Golden State only scored 79 points to the second-worst rated defense (114.7) in the NBA. 79 points scored was the lowest of the Warriors 2019 season.

Four Hawks scored in double digits, led by the sophomore star, Trae Young, who paced Atlanta with 24-points and seven assists. Rookie, Eric Paschall, was the only Warrior to surpass the 20-point mark with 24. Golden State turned in another miserable shooting night from beyond the arc, registering under 30 percent for the second straight night.

The Return of Big Loon

The Warriors got a familiar face back with the return of big man, Kevon Looney, against Atlanta. The UCLA product returned from a neuropathic injury, playing 15 minutes, tallying two points, two rebounds and two blocks. Golden State is being patient with Looney’s return, limiting his minutes until his conditioning returns to form.

Turnover City

Ball security was the biggest issue for the Warriors in Atlanta as they turned the ball over 23 times, resulting in 11-points for the Hawks. The bench unit combined for 15 of the team’s total turnovers, each member of the Warriors turned the ball over at least once. The Warriors had six more turnovers than assists (17) versus Atlanta.

The Warriors sorely missed Draymond Green tonight (rest), who served as the team’s primary ball-handler with D’Angelo Russell injured. The Warriors offense lacked any rhythm throughout the game in which every possession seemed like there was a sloppy turnover.

Hitting the Lottery

In the big picture, a loss to Atlanta could be looked at as a good thing when the 2020 NBA draft rolls around in June. Heading into this game, the Warriors and Hawks had the same amount of wins (4), with a loss Golden State’s record falls to 4-18ā€” the worst in the NBA.

With each game in 2019, the Warriors season becomes more about the future, and if that’s the case, tonight could be looked at as a win in when it comes to the 2020 lottery order.

Luka Doncic and Ja Morant may provide perspective for Warriors future

Playing against Luka Docic, Ja Morant and Trae Young will give the Golden State Warriors a glimpse of what having a modern lottery pick could look like.

Over the past five seasons, the Golden State Warriors have been a team focused on the now. But without star power filling the void of injured players and one of the worst records in the NBA, itā€™s time to look to the future.

The Dubs have a few interesting young pieces, but thatā€™s where it endsā€” a few. Eric Paschall, Ky Bowman and Omari Spellman all have flashed promise at times. But none were blue-chip prospects built to lead the Warriors into the future.

Over recent NBA drafts, thereā€™s been an influx of exciting youngsters bursting into the league. The players available at the top of the NBA draft havenā€™t garnered much attention in the Bay Area because most fans were focused on Golden State playing deep into the postseason.

With the Warriors currently scheduled to be at the top of the NBA draft lottery, teams with young talent might provide some perspective.

When teams like the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers popped up on the schedule, Warriors fans were excited. Now, teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies (whom the Warriors will play over the next month) could give fans a glimpse at what having a modern lottery pick will look like.

On the current road trip, the Warriors already played the New Orleans Pelicans, who spent the first overall pick in 2019 on Zion Williamson out of Duke. Due to injury, Williamson hasn’t made his debut yet, but that doesnā€™t mean the Dubs wonā€™t get a shot at a top pick soon.

The Warriors head to Dallas to face phenom Luka Doncic. The Slovenian isnā€™t only one of the leagueā€™s most talented youngsters, heā€™s one of the leagueā€™s most exciting players overall. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 30.6 points, 10.3 assists and 11.6 rebounds per game in November. What doesnā€™t show on the stat sheet is how Doncic controls the game for the Mavs. Heā€™s a true court general with the swagger that looks like heā€™s going to cause problems in the Western Conference for years to come.

After Doncic, the Warriors will get a taste of the favorite for the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year award: Ja Morant, another impressive point guard who is leading Memphis into a new era of ā€œgrit and grind.ā€ Similar to Doncic, Morantā€™s feel for the game is that of a veteran. He has the confidence and swagger of a veteran. If you doubt him, heā€™ll make you pay.

Over the next 10 games, the Warriors will get to see a bevy of recent lottery picks, also including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyler Herro, Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, Markelle Fultz, PJ Washington, Malik Monk and, for the grand finale, Trae Young. All players picked in the top 13 with the average age of 20.5, Markkanen is the old man of the group, at 22. Paschall, Bowman and Spellman are all 22 or older, with Jordan Poole the only Warrior under 21.

As exciting as it is to play against All-Stars like LeBron James, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, itā€™s important to gauge the type of talent the Warriors could be getting in the June draft. If Golden Stateā€™s season finishes on its current trajectory, the Warriors will have a chance to acquire a talent similar to Doncic, Morant or Young.

LeBron James daps up Kobe before hitting 3 in dominant Laker 1st half

LeBron James met up with Kobe Bryant as the Los Angeles Lakers had a great start Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Lakers fans had a Sunday of their dreams, especially in the first half of their game against the Atlanta Hawks. After celebrating Anthony Davis with some cognac last night, LeBron James and the Lakers burst out to 69-41 lead at halftime that included some incredible moments.

It began with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant being in the building as he promotes a new project and LeBron James went over to dap him up while he sat court side. James would immediately hit a 3-pointer for the Lakers, one of two 3-pointers and 17 points in the half and a monstrous plus-minutes of +41.

That wasn’t even the best highlight for the Lakers, however. After Atlanta briefly cut the Lakers lead to 10 points, the Lakers regained control to close the half but nothing made the Hawks look done more than an incredible tip-slam from Danny Green that made Dwight Howard lose his mind and the Lakers crowd go wild.

James also showed off his passing once again as he continued to build on his league-leading assist total.

The Lakers look well on their way to a 4th straight win, which would give them the best record in the NBA.

Lakers look to continue winning ways against Hawks, Trae Young

The Los Angeles Lakers host one of the most exciting players in the game when they play Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers are back on the court Sunday night as they host an exciting Atlanta Hawks team that just came off an awful loss last night against the Clippers.

Trae Young had 20 points for the Hawks last night but they lost by 49 points, which means they’ll likely be much more focused for tonight’s game after getting embarrassed the night before. Young will be a challenge for the Lakers defense as his high pick-and-roll game is one of the most lethal in the NBA, even though he’s just in his second season.

Without Avery Bradley, Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will likely take the difficult task of guarding Young during the game but the Lakers team defense will be called upon, which shouldn’t be too big of an ask considering the Lakers are the best defense in the league.

Their size should be enough to disrupt what Atlanta is trying to do offensively with Young, especially because the Hawks are pretty inexperienced or not very good elsewhere on the team. Defensively, the Hawks also have trouble stopping people which should make for a great night for LeBron James running the show.

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. PDT at Staples Center.

Warriors will battle Celtics on worst losing streak of Steve Kerr era

The Warriors are amide the worst losing streak of the Steve Kerr era, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon.

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The Golden State Warriors blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakersā€”their fifth straightā€”marked the worst losing streak of the Steve Kerr era. It’s probably just beginning, as well, as the club will now welcome the NBA-leading Boston Celtics to Chase Center on Friday night.

The early losing streak isn’t the only bad sign for the Warriors, as their 2-10 start is the worst since the 1999-2000 season when they finished with only 19 wins.

A five-game losing streak might not seem long by most standards, but it may not end anytime soon. Beginning with the contest against the Celtics, the road won’t get any easier.

Boston and Golden State are at opposite ends of the spectrum in many categories, as the Celtics rate first in offensive efficiency (113.8) while the Warriors rank last in defensive rating (117.2). Boston scores in the top-10 in points per game (116.1), while the Dubs allow the second-most points per game (121.1).

Looking beyond the Celtics on the schedule, the Dubs aren’t given any favors. Eight of their next 10 games are on the road. During that time, Golden State plays a blend of teams that are either young and on the rise or competing for a playoff spot.

The Warriors will face both the Utah Jazz and Miami Heat in their buildings. Both teams have eight wins to start the young season. Looking past the established teams during the next stretch Golden State will face off against a group of hungry teams lead by young talent.

D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Poole will tangle with Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Ja Morant on the upcoming road trip. If you were power ranking the next breed of NBA stars, the aforementioned group would be at the top of the list. It’s not crazy to believe each youngster will try to show out with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson watching.

The positive when looking forward is the Warriors do get a shot against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday to start their road trip. One of the two wins the Dubs have is against the Pels, who are also depleted from injury.

It’ll be interesting to see where the Warriors stand after the next 11-games.

They’ll be challenged in every contest, but a pair of road trips stacked together could be the thing this young team needs to build chemistry.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attributes humbleness to his mom’s teachings

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had a quality start to his second NBA season.

In a season that’s still young, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as one of the NBA’s top young players.

Gilgeous-Alexander averages 20.1 points a game and leads the Thunder in scoring. He’s second on the team in rebounds behind Steven Adams, and he’s also one of the Thunder’s best 3-point shooters; he’s shooting 40.4% from the 3-point line.

But through all of his success, Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t been arrogant. According to a story from The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto, Gilgeous-Alexander attributes his humbleness to his mother, Charmaine Gilgeous.

Gilgeous was an Olympic sprinter, and she competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Here’s what Gilgeous-Alexander said about what his mom taught him:

“Growing up, with anything we did, she never let us get cocky,ā€ Gilgeous-Alexander said of his mom. ā€œShe always told us and showed us to have confidence in ourselves, but never take it overboard. Keep it as confidence.”

Gilgeous-Alexander has taken a leap so far this season. A rookie with the Los Angeles Clippers last season, Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to OKC in the Paul George deal.

Last season, he didn’t take nearly as many shots. Both his field goal attempts and 3-point attempts have gone up. His usage percentage is currently at 25.3%, and last season he finished with an 18.3% usage percentage.

Tied for 25th in the league for points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of three second-year players ranked in the top 25 of the league for scoring, according to NBA.com. Luka Doncic ranks fourth (28.5), and Trae Young ranks seventh (27.3).

With Gilgeous-Alexander being the Thunder’s focal point, he’s primed to continue having a quality sophomore season.

The Thunder will play the Philadelphia 76ers at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday night.

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All hail Trae Young, king of the NBA nutmeg

He’s so good at these.

Trae Young in Year 2 is exactly what we all hoped for: A better, more efficient scorer expanding his already-incredible range and becoming a defensive force.

We knew he was a human highlight reel, but now he’s become the king of the nutmeg, the dribble between the wide-open legs of a defender squaring up to attempt to stop the guard, which was already hard enough to begin with. Now, could this mean defenders try to close their legs more and watch as Young breaks their ankles by dribbling around and not through them?

Let’s all grab some popcorn and enjoy a highlight reel of some Young nutmegs.

Poor J.J. Redick.

He stared at the Nuggets bench after what he did to Will Barton.

He did it Ricky Rubio.

He did this last year, too! Here’s a nutmeg from the Rising Stars Challenge that went through Josh Okogie’s legs:

He’s had this move for a loooooooooong time:

Keep ’em coming, Trae.

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The 7 most unreal shots of Trae Young’s NBA career

TRAE YOUNG HIVE STAND UP.

Hey, listen. Just going to drop off a fair warning right now. If you AREN’T a member of the Trae Young hive, stop reading right here.

Okay, great. Now that all six of those folks are out of here, the rest of us can have a good time. Because our hardwood lord and savior Rayford Trae Young is straight up making folks look SILLY right now.

He’s literally the ONLY player in NBA history to average at least 28 points and eight assists per game while shooting 40% from deep. It’s just year two.

People thought the Hawks made a mistake trading down to get him. He’s proven those doubters wrong with every moon-ball 3-pointer he’s hit and every no-look pass he’s dished.Ā  It’s almost like he’s still running around the Big XII.

Young isn’t new to this, he’s true to this. All the wacky shots and deep threes we seeing this year come natural to him. Here’s a look at the seven wildest shots he’s hit so far in his short career.

7. Trae points to the spot

The best thing about Young when he catches fire is that he knows exactly what he is doing to you. Every deep, ridiculous three is a punch to the gut. Here he just added a bit more sauce to it by pointing to where he shot from after dropping a bomb in Lonzo Ball’s eye.

Tell you what ā€” Ball is a better man than me. Adults should never fight, but after that? I’m sorry. We gotta scrap.

6. Jonathan Issac almost blocked this

Fam. How was this shot not blocked? Dude is a magician. He has to be. This doesn’t make sense. Jonathan Issac was right there on Young’s back. Even altered his form. Didn’t matter. Swish. Just too good to be stopped.

5. From the Logo to start the season

Make some room for Trae, Damian Lillard. He isn’t the only one hitting shots from the logo these days. Young is doing it, too, and in the first game of the season. Remember that slow start he got off to last year? This shot was a message ā€” that ain’t happening again.

4. The Nutmeg against the Nuggets

Nah. This isn’t right. That man has a family. Poor Will Barton. He’s now cursed forever, doomed to live on a never ending loop of this highlight on YouTube until the end of days.

His children’s children’s children will be able to watch this highlight of Young treating him like a run-of-the-mill hooper playing at the local rec center. Imagining such a life gives me chills, man.

3. Over Kris Dunn to take the lead

This was a moment for Young last season. Take a second to think about what’s going on here. This is a rookie pulling up for a potential game winning three with a defender in his face and seven seconds left on the clock. Appreciate that. We don’t see it often.

I remember watching this one live. This was definitely me:

The Bulls ended up winning after four overtimes (!!!) but whatever. Don’t care. Trae Young won.

2. A putback to put the Bucks away

This is the only play here that isn’t a jumper, but I can certainly assure that it definitely belongs because I still don’t know how a 6’1 guard got to that ball. It’s a right place, right time thing, which seems to happen a lot for Young these days.

1. Calling bank FTW against the Magic

Markelle Fultz didn’t deserve this. The Magic didn’t deserve this. But Young absolutely gave it to them anyway. I don’t know if he called bank but, in the words of the immortal Paul Pierce, he certainly called game.

He’s not Steph Curry. He’s not Steve Nash. Atlanta’s point guard is one of a kind and these plays prove it. He makes the unimaginable seem routine and he makes the routine seem pedestrian. It’s just his second year, so there’s plenty more to come over the next decade.

My soul is ready. I’m so excited I can’t even spell.

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Trae Young is first player since LeBron to have 3 straight 30-10 games

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young’s recent run is something the NBA hasn’t seen since LeBron James did it with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has been thriving ever since coming back from an ankle injury that caused him to miss games earlier in the season. Including last night’s impressive win at Denver, Young has scored at least 30 points and dished 10 assists in his last three games.

With the current streak, Young became the first player to accomplish the feat since LeBron James did it in March of 2018 when he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Young has been stellar as of late, carrying an incredible scoring and creation load for the Hawks to start the season.

On the year, Young is averaging 28 points, 8.7 assists and just over four rebounds per game while shooting over 40 percent from long distance. Aside from the rebounds and the 3-point shooting, his numbers aren’t unlike a typical LeBron year.

So far this season, James has taken a little bit of a step back in the scoring category as he is averaging 24 points per game after averaging over 27 points the last two seasons. Part of that is because James has taken an even bigger role as the Lakers lead guard, which has resulted in an NBA-leading 11 assists per game to go with 8 rebounds.