Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers sees a drastic difference in Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young this season.
‘He’s earned the trust of his players,‘ Rivers said after the Bucks’ practice Friday at T-Mobile Arena in preparation to face the Hawks in the NBA Cup semifinals. ‘This team likes playing with him. It’s obvious. I couldn’t say it in the past, but now they love playing with him.’
Young, 26, is a three-time All-Star who led the Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, but has often been criticised for being a poor defender and often described unfavourably as a teammate. Young, who averages a league-leading 21.0 points and 12.2 assists, said Friday that he considers the negative aspects of his reputation unfair.
‘The narrative that I’m not capable of doing certain things or I’m too angry or frustrated about certain things is … I mean, it’s just not true,’ Young said. ‘I think you’re just now starting to see how with the young team we have, just some of the different things we’ve done this year, I think you’re starting to see them because the results are showing and we’re winning now. We’re here in this final four of the Cup, and that’s a big thing.
‘I think that’s why you’re seeing it and understanding it, but that’s always been the case for me.’
The Hawks have a young core led by All-Star contender Jalen Johnson, freshman No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and guard Dyson Daniels, who arrived as part of the trade return for Dejounte Murray, a former All-Star whose two-year partnership with Young produced no playoff series wins.
After a slow start, Atlanta won seven of eight games, a series that began with back-to-back wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold the NBA’s best record. ‘When you win, everything else takes care of itself,’ Young said. ‘That’s kind of what’s happening right now.’
Rivers said it was evident from Young’s play that the guard ‘really studied the game on both ends of the court.’ He specifically credited Young with masking his defensive limitations by finding ways to keep himself out of the action when teams target him by communicating and switching.
‘When we talk to Trae and talk about Trae, the word I like to use is evolution,’ Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. ‘Every player evolves. They just evolve in different ways. He’s been a big part of the growth of our young guys and their ability to elevate them. … We know what a talented offensive player is, but I think in his mind to be successful as a team, not just Trae, we all have to do our part defensively. And he’s doing that.’
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