Tag: trae young

Trae Young breaks down near collapse in Spurs loss to Hawks

After the San Antonio Spurs’ tough loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young spoke about his squad’s near-collapse.

The San Antonio Spurs walked into State Farm Arena on Monday night in hopes of bouncing back from a tough loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. The NBA had a full slate of games for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and with Victor Wembanyama back on the court after a one-game absence, the Spurs were looking to take down the Atlanta Hawks.

Things started off rough for San Antonio. The Hawks were up by 35 points at halftime, and the game looked over. But that’s when Wembanyama turned it on. The Spurs slowly battled their way back, but it was ultimately too late, as the Hawks took home a 109-99 victory.

After the game, Hawks star Trae Young spoke about the Spurs’ comeback, noting that Atlanta just took their foot off the gas.

“I think obviously we did a good job in the first half, the attention to detail and the focus we had was huge for us,” Young said via ESPN. “In the second half, I just think we got too relaxed.”

Wembanyama did all of his scoring in the second half. After an 0-of-4 first half that saw him drop a donut in the scoring column, he exploded. In the second half, Wembanyama had 26 points on 12-of-14 shooting, including an 18-point fourth quarter on 8-of-10 shooting.

As for Young, he finished the game with 36 points, six rebounds, and 13 assists while shooting 11-of-24 from the floor and 6-of-11 from behind the three-point line.

The Hawks nearly blew it, but the Spurs just couldn’t complete the comeback.

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Report: Trae Young open to Spurs trade to play with Victor Wembanyama

Trae Young’s camp is reportedly open to the idea of teaming up with Victor Wembanyama on the San Antonio Spurs, if a deal were to happen.

Head coach Gregg Popovich mocked the idea of the San Antonio Spurs making any significant moves at the trade deadline this year. However, while they may not be looking to push for the playoffs this season, adding talent around Victor Wembanyama should still be one of the team’s top priorities moving forward.

Recent rumors have indicated the Spurs’ potential interest in a Dejounte Murray trade, a deal that would see the one-time All-Star return to San Antonio. However, perhaps a more interesting idea would be a Trae Young deal with the Atlanta Hawks, however unlikely that may be. (The answer is very unlikely.)

That said, Matt Moore of Action Network recently reported that Young’s camp would be open to the idea of a move to San Antonio to form a duo with Victor Wembanyama.

“A more interesting question is if the Spurs and Hawks would have interest in a deal for Young,” Moore wrote. “League sources have suggested that Young’s camp would be open — if he is traded, which is a significant clause here — to pairing Young with Victor Wembanyama. The two teams have already done a big trade for Murray, obviously, and Atlanta would surely be interested in getting back some of the draft picks it sent the Spurs for Murray.”

However, as Moore and others have noted this season, the Hawks are currently treating Young as untouchable. Their plan is to build around him and second-year forward Jalen Johnson, despite their struggles this season.

But even if a trade is unlikely, it’s significant to note that superstars are already interested in a potential move to play with Wembanyama.

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The Hawks would be incredibly foolish to trade Dejounte Murray back to the Spurs

This rumor doesn’t make much sense for the Hawks.

When the Spurs traded Dejounte Murray to the Hawks, it seemed like a great trade for Atlanta. He was considered an ideal teammate for Trae Young.

Instead, San Antonio decided to fully tank and ended up getting the No. 1 overall pick in a draft that landed them Victor Wembanyama. This trade wound up as a savvy move by the Spurs and one that has led to consistent mediocrity for the Hawks.

Now, according to several league insiders, Murray is potentially once again on the trade block.

It isn’t exactly surprising that Young and Jalen Johnson are reportedly the only untouchable players on the roster for Atlanta. The pairing of Young and Murray is not working and it does not make sense to use a lineup that doesn’t have what it takes to win.

Some potential suitors include the Knicks, Lakers and the 76ers. But, per Shams Charania, another team with registered interest in acquiring Murray is the Spurs.

He could provide a bolster to the backcourt, which has plagued San Antonio all season. Muray could have some interest in a reunion with his former team and his former coach, Gregg Popovich, especially now that Wembanyama is on the roster.

Of course, if there is a Godfather offer presented by San Antonio because they desperately want Murray back on the team, the Hawks should take it.

But why would San Antonio, one of the worst teams in the league, outbid contenders around the league when they aren’t exactly vying for a playoff spot this year?

Based on his value right now, it is unlikely Atlanta would recoup the type of assets they surrendered to initially land Murray. The Hawks sent San Antonio multiple first-round draft picks to acquire the guard and some of this is a sunk cost already.

Perhaps the Hawks would want to reacquire the unprotected pick that they owe the Spurs in 2025 or the pick swaps San Antonio currently controls for both 2026 and 2027.

The problem is that so long as Young is on the roster and fully healthy, it is unlikely that Atlanta could ever bottom out for a high draft pick. So even the ability to regain their draft capital is not as appealing without entering a full rebuild.

San Antonio simply doesn’t have the win-now players that Atlanta would want to play alongside Young. Any move that would send Murray back to the Spurs for pennies on the dollar isn’t worth it.

Maybe one of the other teams like New York, Los Angeles or Philadelphia could offer enough for Atlanta to break up the duo of Young and Murray. But nearly any deal with the Spurs is likely a net loss for the Hawks.

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PHOTOS: Trae Young sneakers through the years

Hawks point guard Trae Young originally signed with Team Adidas just before his 2018 draft and has since signed an extension with Adidas in late 2020. Since then, he has had three renditions of his signature shoes, plus a budget model, the Trae Unlimited.

Take a look at his sneakers through the years.

Takeaways: Jabari Smith Jr. posts career night as Hawks edge Rockets

Jabari Smith Jr. (34 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Fred VanVleet (32 points, 15 assists) were electric, but it wasn’t quite enough to beat Atlanta.

In a wild back-and-forth game, a career night by second-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. wasn’t enough to rescue the Houston Rockets in Wednesday’s 134-127 loss (box score) to the Atlanta Hawks.

It’s the third consecutive loss for Houston (13-12), which had its 11-game home-court winning streak at Toyota Center snapped. The Hawks (12-15) were led by perennial All-Star guard Trae Young, who had 30 points and 14 assists while shooting 10-of-18 from the field (55.6%) and 5-of-8 from 3-point range (62.5%).

The Rockets stormed back from a 20-point deficit midway through the second quarter to take a 5-point lead late in the third, but Atlanta rebuilt the margin with a flurry of pick-and-roll lobs to big man Onyeka Okongwu that Alperen Sengun struggled to defend.

Smith finished with a career-high 34 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Rockets, shooting 8-of-14 overall (57.1%), 4-of-7 on 3-pointers (57.1%) and 14-of-14 on free throws.

Fred VanVleet was spectacular at point guard with 32 points, 15 assists, and only 2 turnovers while making 10-of-20 shots (50%), 3-of-7 from 3-point range (42.9%), and 9-of-9 on free throws.

Other noteworthy Rockets performances included:

  • Dillon Brooks: 19 points, 2 steals; 7-of-9 shooting (77.8%), 5-of-6 on free throws (83.3%)
  • Alperen Sengun: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists; 7-of-12 shooting (58.3%)
  • Jalen Green: 16 points, 4 rebounds; 7-of-19 shooting (36.8%), 2-of-7 on 3-pointers (28.6%)

Second-year forward Tari Eason, who had played extremely well in recent games, sat with left lower leg soreness. It was Houston’s fourth game in six nights, and Eason missed time in the preseason and early in the regular season with a stress reaction to that area.

Here’s our look at highlights and postgame interviews after Wednesday’s game versus Atlanta, along with reaction by media members and fans. Next up for the Rockets is Friday’s home game versus Dallas. The tip is set for 7 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.

Trae Young claimed that the Hawks would have won the 2021 NBA title if he didn’t get hurt vs. the Bucks

Trae and Giannis both were injured in the series.

Back during the 2021 NBA playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks made one of the more surprising postseason runs in recent memory. Led by Trae Young, the Hawks eliminated the Knicks and upset the top-seeded Sixers before ultimately falling in six games against the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Young, though, is convinced that the series — and subsequent NBA Finals against the Suns — would have played out differently if he never suffered a fluke injury from stepping on an official’s foot in Game 3.

Speaking on his From the Point podcast, Young said that the injury still haunts him because he was certain the Hawks would have won the title with him healthy.

After Young’s injury in that game, the Bucks rallied in the fourth quarter to win, 113-102, and take a 2-1 lead in the series. And while it’s easy to roast Young for the take, it’s important to remember that the Bucks would have been without Giannis Antetokounmpo in this scenario as he also suffered an injury that kept him out until the NBA Finals. Young was also playing at an incredible level in that postseason.

Yet, in the two seasons since that playoff run, the Hawks — even with a healthy Young — have been unable to advance beyond the first round (they made the playoffs from the Play-In Tournament both seasons). Young admitted trying to resist the notion that the Hawks already had their chance.

NBA fans also had thoughts on Young’s comments.

Hawks’ Trae Young fined for actions following 114-113 loss to Brooklyn Nets

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young was fined $25,000 for confronting officials following a 114-113 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 6.

The Brooklyn Nets finally got Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson their first win in Atlanta against the Hawks in a 114-113 win on Dec. 6 after some clutch shots by Bridges. From how closely contested the game was throughout the entire 48 minutes, it looks like there are some lingering effects from how the game ended.

The NBA announced on Saturday that Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who dropped 30 points and nine assists in the contest, was fined $25,000 for his actions at the end of the game. In a game that featured 43 lead changes, the most in a game since play-by-play tracking was used, this game came down to the last possession as seems to be customary given how hard the Nets and the Hawks play each other.

On Atlanta’s last offensive possession, Young received the ball to try to make something happen with just mere seconds on the clock. After Young received the ball from forward Saddiq Bey, Young splits Dennis Smith Jr. and Bridges and puts up a shot after feeling some contact following the split.

In a play where the call could have gone either way and potentially would have been the right whistle, the officials deemed the play a no-call at the moment and after further review. After the final buzzer went off, Young walked over to the officials to let them know how he felt about the play.

Now that Young has been fined, it seems that he said more to the referees than the cameras showed during the broadcast. The video of the play can be seen below courtesy of Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.

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‘The atmosphere was great’: Sooner fans show out for their ranked squad

Porter Moser might be bringing the juice back to the basketball program.

Attendance has long been an issue at basketball games at the University of Oklahoma. Unless the Oklahoma Sooners have a top-tier team and are playing a top-tier opponent, the fans rarely show up. That includes the student section.

In came Porter Moser. Moser has made a concerted effort to get students to the games. But what he found out, it doesn’t matter how much you plead for fans to come if you don’t have a winning team.

Let’s face it, Oklahoma is a football school. If you want to grab their attention, you need to put out a good product like softball has done. Earlier in the season, fans still rarely came. But the Sooners kept winning. Now, they are 8-0 and a top 25 team in the country.

So, come Tuesday, the fans were there. 7,234 of them were in attendance. They also made themselves felt several times during the game.

Milos Uzan and Javian McCollum talked about fan support.

“The atmosphere was great,” Uzan said. “The last four minutes, I saw everybody turn their lights off. I knew we had to take this home. I feel like in an environment like this, the more we keep winning, the more fans keep coming, and exciting things will happen.”

“It’s great playing at home and always having a huge fan base like that, being noisy for us, that helps us win the game,” McCollum said. “It helps tremendously. And hopefully, as the season goes on we keep building, and more people will come out and support us.”

If you haven’t gone out to watch this team yet, you need to. No, they don’t have the huge star like [autotag]Blake Griffin[/autotag], [autotag]Buddy Hield[/autotag] or [autotag]Trae Young[/autotag] but man they are a fun team to watch.

Their next game is against the Arkansas Razorbacks, and while it’s not a home game, it is being played in Tulsa, Okla. The Sooners have faced the Razorbacks several times in the past, and every time, it sounds more like an Arkansas home game than a Sooner home game. Time to change that this season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Jalen Johnson is by far the biggest winner of the John Collins trade for the Hawks

So many of those Trae Young dimes are going to Jalen Johnson now!

Jalen Johnson had another excellent showing during Atlanta’s victory over Orlando in Mexico City on Thursday night.

Johnson, who has moved into the starting lineup for the Hawks, has reached double-digit scoring figures in all but one appearance so far this season. He is averaging career-highs of 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

While his jumper has improved, it is his play near the basket where he has most impressed. Johnson is currently shooting 82 percent at the basket, via Cleaning the Glass, and is one of the league’s leaders in dunks.

Johnson’s early ascension from someone who did not play many minutes in his first two professional seasons to where he is today as a crucial player for Atlanta is already quite remarkable.

But none of it would be possible if not for the Hawks trading John Collins during the offseason. The return for Collins wasn’t massive but it created an opening for more offensive touches elsewhere.

Over the course of the past few seasons combined, via PBPStats, no one player assisted a teammate more often than Trae Young found Collins.

Per 36 minutes, Young averaged 3.59 assists to Collins during their time together in Atlanta. Young is now averaging 3.48 assists per 36 to Johnson so far this year, including this remarkable behind-the-back alley-oop dime:

 

Young averaged 7.3 passes per game to Collins last season. This season, many of those looks (and more!) are instead going to Johnson, who has received 8.3 passes per game from the point guard.

The best news of all is that his play is seemingly contributing to winning basketball, too. Atlanta has a positive point differential of 68 points when Johnson has played this season, which is the highest plus-minus of anyone on the roster.

The Hawks have outscored opponents by 22.0 points per 100 possessions when he is on relative to when he is off, via Cleaning the Glass, which ranks in the 93rd percentile among all players in the league this season.

Thanks to the playing time he has received by trading Collins, it seems very possible that Atlanta may have an emerging third star on its roster.

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Bulls land Trae Young in blockbuster mock trade with Hawks

In this mock trade, the Chicago Bulls strike a deal with the Atlanta Hawks for Trae Young.

The Chicago Bulls are in a tough spot. After losing in the Play-In Tournament last season and getting bounced in the first round the year prior, their squad hasn’t changed. Outside of the additions of Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, the roster is the same, and the primary core pieces are still in town.

Questions quickly emerged this summer as to whether or not the Bulls should rebuild, and while said questions still exist, Chicago decided to stick with their core. But what if they end up struggling this year? Could they consider some potential trades to blow up the roster?

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently wrote a trade idea that would see them do just that, flipping Zach LaVine to the Atlanta Hawks for Trae Young.