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Until recently, we thought it was going to take a few more years for Trae Young to get his team into the playoffs. In fact, the bad start of last season threatened to throw down a great offseason surrounding the talent base to take the next step. So when Nate McMillan managed to turn the Hawks into much more than they thought they could be, the anticipation to see Trae in his first playoffs was maximum. He did not miss the appointment, and from the first moment he stepped on Madison he made it clear that he was a player of games of that caliber. So much so that now the routine bores him. “I’m not going to fool you, the regular league is a lot more boring than the playoffs.”
The player leaves these statements in the aftermath of another loss, this time against the Utah Jazz. With this result, the Hawks’ record is 4-5, well below expectations for the last finalists in the Eastern Conference. “I think the boys have to get used to it, we are no longer the hunters,” Young said, referring to the new status gained in the last postseason. “We have to find the motivation to play like in the playoffs.”
A few days ago McMillan pointed to the accommodation that was permeating the team’s game. Yesterday it was necessary to send a clear message. «I don’t give away minutes, you have to earn them. If there are players who are not willing to leave everything on both sides of the court, I will do rotations.
It is obvious that Trae Young is not going to find the excitement of being the villain of an entire city or the indirect cause of one of the most notorious junk in recent years. But they better find that emotional boost that the point guard admits he needs soon. Because this year the Eastern Conference is not waiting for anyone.
(Cover photo by Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
